This statistic shows the biggest cities in Bangladesh in 2022. In 2022, approximately 10.28 million people lived in Dhaka, making it the biggest city in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City data was reported at 23,209,616.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 22,478,117.000 Person for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 7,192,850.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23,209,616.000 Person in 2023 and a record low of 507,921.000 Person in 1960. Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;;

Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 33.444 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 33.418 % for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 30.640 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.444 % in 2023 and a record low of 19.085 % in 1960. Bangladesh BD: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Geographical Outreach: Number of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in 3 Largest Cities for Bangladesh (BGDFCACLNUM) from 2004 to 2015 about ATM, Bangladesh, banks, and depository institutions.

The share of urban population in Bangladesh increased by 0.8 percentage points (+2.01 percent) in 2023. With 40.47 percent, the share thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Notably, the share continuously increased over the last years.The urban population refers to the share of the total population living in urban centers. Each country has their own definition of what constitutes an urban center (based on population size, area, or space between dwellings, among others), therefore international comparisons may be inconsistent.

Graph and download economic data for Geographical Outreach: Number of Branches in 3 Largest Cities, Excluding Headquarters, for Other Financial Intermediaries for Bangladesh (BGDFCBMLNUM) from 2004 to 2015 about intermediaries, branches, Bangladesh, and financial.

Abstract

The main objective of the 2019 Chattogram for Low Income Area Gender, Inclusion, and Poverty (CITY) study is to collect primary data from male and female residents in slum and non-slum poor neighborhoods in Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh, and build the evidence base about their constraints to access more and better jobs. The CITY survey was designed to shed light on poverty, economic empowerment, and livelihood in urban areas of Bangladesh as well as to identify key constraints and solutions for low-income women trying to obtain better jobs.

A broad array of information was collected on issues related to women's economic empowerment, ranging from demographic and socioeconomic characteristics to detailed work history, time use, attitudes about work, and perceptions of work. The key feature of this survey is to collect economic data directly from the main household members, generally the main couples, unlike traditional surveys which only interviewed the heads of households (who tend to be men in most cases); thus, failed to gather valuable information from the female population.

Geographic coverage

Poor areas of slum & non-slum areas of Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh.

Analysis unit

Household, individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The CITY 2019 survey was designed using a two-stage sampling strategy. The major features include the following steps:

FIRST STAGE: The primary sampling units (PSUs) in the first stage were selected using a probability proportional to size (PPS) methods. Using the 2011 census sampling frame, low-income PSUs were defined as non-slum census enumeration areas (EAs) using the 2011 Bangladesh Poverty Map. Three strata were used for sampling the low-income EAs. These strata were defined based on the poverty head-count ratios. The first stratum encompasses EAs with a poverty headcount ratio less than 10%; the second stratum between 11% and 14%; and the third stratum, those exceeding 15%. Overall, 22 low-income EAs were selected in the Chattogram City Corporation (CC).

Slums were defined as informal settlements that were listed in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' slum census from 2013/14. This census was used as sampling frame of the slum areas. Based on the sizes of the slums, three strata were used for sampling purposes. This time the strata were based on the size of the slums. The first stratum comprises slums of 50 to 75 households; the second 76 to 99 households; and the third, more than 100 households. Small slums with fewer than 50 households were not included in the sampling frame. Overall, 18 slums were included as a part of the survey.

SECOND STAGE: The second stage of the selection process in each of the EAs began with a listing exercise. For very large EAs, a smaller section was delineated for the listing. The second level of stratification are defined as follows:

i) Households with both working-age male and female members; ii) Households with only a working-age female; iii) Households with only a working-age male.

Households were randomly selected from each stratum with the predetermined ratio of 16:3:1. Overall, data was collected from 805 households (1289 individuals - 580 in slum and 709 in non-slum areas).

Sampling deviation

For EAs where the ratio was unable to be attained due to absence of households in certain strata, households from the first category to arrive at a final number of 20 per EA.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Response rate

77%

The population density in Bangladesh reached its highest in 2020, amounting to approximately 1.27 thousand people per square kilometer. The South Asian country was the tenth most densely populated country in the world in 2019. Within the Asia Pacific region, Bangladesh’s population density was only exceeded by Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Maldives. Overall, Asia had the highest population density in the world in 2018.

Population growth in Bangladesh

In 1971, Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh’s birth rate and mortality rate had declined significantly in the past years with a life expectancy of 72.59 years in 2019. In general, the population in Bangladesh had been growing at a slow pace, slightly fluctuating around an annual rate of one percent. This growth was forecasted to continue, although it was estimated to halve by 2040. As of today, Dhaka is the largest city in Bangladesh.

Population density explained

According to the source, “population density is the mid-year population divided by land area in square kilometers.” Further, “population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents.” Bangladesh’s population reached an estimated number of 164.69 million inhabitants in 2020. In 2018, the country’s land area amounted 130.2 thousand square kilometers.

Abstract

The 2018 Dhaka Low Income Area Gender, Inclusion, and Poverty (DIGNITY) survey attempts to fill in the data and knowledge gaps on women's economic empowerment in urban areas, specifically the factors that constrain women in slums and low-income neighborhoods from engaging in the labor market and supplying their labor to wage earning or self-employment. While an array of national-level datasets has collected a wide spectrum of information, they rarely comprise all of the information needed to study the drivers of Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP). This data gap is being filled by the primary data collection of the specialized DIGNITY survey; it is representative of poor urban areas and is specifically designed to address these limitations. The DIGNITY survey collected information from 1,300 urban households living in poor areas of Dhaka in 2018 on a range of issues that affect FLFP as identified through the literature. These range from household composition and demographic characteristics to socioeconomic characteristics such as detailed employment history and income (including locational data and travel details); and from technical and educational attributes to issues of time use, migration history, and attitudes and perceptions.

The DIGNITY survey was designed to shed light on poverty, economic empowerment, and livelihood in urban areas of Bangladesh. It has two main modules: the traditional household module (in which the head of household is interviewed on basic information about the household); and the individual module, in which two respondents from each household are interviewed individually. In the second module, two persons - one male and one female from each household, usually the main couple, are selected for the interview. The survey team deployed one male and one female interviewer for each household, so that the gender of the interviewers matched that of the respondents. Collecting economic data directly from a female and male household member, rather than just the head of the household (who tend to be men in most cases), was a key feature of the DIGNITY survey.

Geographic coverage

The DIGNITY survey is representative of low-income areas and slums of the Dhaka City Corporations (North and South, from here on referred to as Dhaka CCs), and an additional low-income site from the Greater Dhaka Statistical Metropolitan Area (SMA).

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling procedure followed a two-stage stratification design. The major features include the following steps (they are discussed in more detail in a copy of the study's report and the sampling document located in "External Resources"):

FIRST STAGE: Selection of the PSUs

Low-income primary sampling units (PSUs) were defined as nonslum census enumeration areas (EAs), in which the small-sample area estimate of the poverty rate is higher than 8 percent (using the 2011 Bangladesh Poverty Map). The sampling frame for these low-income areas in the Dhaka City Corporations (CCs) and Greater Dhaka is based on the population census of 2011. For the Dhaka CCs, all low-income census EAs formed the sampling frame. In the Greater Dhaka area, the frame was formed by all low-income census EAs in specific thanas (i.e. administrative unit in Bangladesh) where World Bank project were located.

Three strata were used for sampling the low-income EAs. These strata were defined based on the poverty head-count ratios. The first stratum encompasses EAs with a poverty headcount ratio between 8 and 10 percent; the second stratum between 11 and 14 percent; and the third stratum, those exceeding 15 percent.

Slums were defined as informal settlements that were listed in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' slum census from 2013/14. This census was used as sampling frame of the slum areas. Only slums in the Dhaka City Corporations are included. Again, three strata were used to sample the slums. This time the strata were based on the size of the slums. The first stratum comprises slums of 50 to 75 households; the second 76 to 99 households; and the third, 100 or more households. Small slums with fewer than 50 households were not included in the sampling frame. Very small slums were included in the low-income neighborhood selection if they are in a low-income area.

Altogether, the DIGNITY survey collected data from 67 PSUs.

SECOND STAGE: Selection of the Households

In each sampled PSU a complete listing of households was done to form the frame for the second stage of sampling: the selection of households. When the number of households in a PSU was very large, smaller sections of the neighborhood were identified, and one section was randomly selected to be listed. The listing data collected information on the demographics of the household to determine whether a household fell into one of the three categories that were used to stratify the household sample:

i) households with both working-age male and female members; ii) households with only a working-age female; iii) households with only a working-age male.

Households were selected from each stratum with the predetermined ratio of 16:3:1. In some cases there were not enough households in categories (ii) and (iii) to stick to this ratio; in this case all of the households in the category were sampled, and additional households were selected from the first category to bring the total number of households sampled in each PSU to 20.

The total sample consisted of 1,300 households (2,378 individuals).

Sampling deviation

The sampling for 1300 households was planned after the listing exercise. During the field work, about 115 households (8.8 percent) could not be interviewed due to household refusal or absence. These households were replaced with reserved households in the sample.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The questionnaires for the survey were developed by the World Bank, with assistance from the survey firm, DATA. Comments were incorporated following the pilot tests and practice session/pretest.

Cleaning operations

Collected data was entered into a computer by using the customized MS Access data input software developed by Data Analysis and Technical Assistance (DATA). Once data entry was completed, two different techniques were employed to check consistency and validity of data as follows:

1. Five (5%) percent of the filled-in questionnaire was checked against entered data to measure the transmission error or typos, and;
2. A logical consistency checking technique was employed to identify inconsistencies using SPSS and or STATA software.

The share of urban population in Bangladesh increased by 0.8 percentage points (+2.01 percent) in 2023. With 40.47 percent, the share thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Notably, the share continuously increased over the last years.A country's urbanization rate refers to the share of the total population living in an urban setting. International comparisons of urbanization rates may be inconsistent, due to discrepancies between definitions of what constitutes an urban center (based on population size, area, or space between dwellings, among others).Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Abstract

The Bangladesh Urban Informal Settlements Survey (UIS) 2016’s main objective is to collect detailed consumption data from urban slums households following the same methodology used by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to collect household consumption data to construct official poverty estimates using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES).

Analysis unit

Slum household

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The survey collected data from a total of 600 urban slum households in the Dhaka City Corporation - 10 slum households from 57 medium and large size slum communities, and 5 slum households from a total of 6 small size slum communities. The sampling frame for this study came from the 2014 BBS Census of Slums and Floating Population. Urban slums or slum communities were classified into three different strata - small size slums (5-10 households); medium size slums (11-200 households); and large size slums (more than 200 households). These three strata were not all used as domains of study but rather defined based on field logistics operations - each stratum followed a slightly different field operation strategy to account for the fact that finding, listing, and interviewing households in small slums posed very different challenges for the field implementation than interviewing households in medium or large slums.

The Primary Sampling Units (PSU) in the survey were the slum communities. There were a total of 3,360 slum communities with more than 5 households in the Dhaka City Corporation. PSUs were equally allocated between strata 1 and 2 (small and medium size slum communities) and stratum 3 (large slum communities) using a combination of PPS and practical allocation. More specifically, PSUs were allocated across strata using PPS with the number of slum households used as the measure of size and rounding to account for the pre-determined cluster size of 10 slum households per PSU for medium size slum communities and 5 slum households per PSU for small slum communities. Using this rule we got an allocation of PSUs which very closely resembled the distribution of slum households across the three strata. Table 1 in the sampling document provided under Related Materials tab reports the number of slum communities and households in the BBS 2014 Census of Slums and Floating Population and the UIS sample by stratum. In the second sampling stage, the list of households in selected slum communities was updated as part of the field work. Using this updated list of households, 5 or 10 households were selected from each slum community using systematic equal probability sampling.

As mentioned previously, the selection of slum communities and households followed slightly different field implementation strategies across strata in three dimensions - creation of replacement slum communities, listing exercise, and selection of households. In terms of the creation of replacement slum communities, the first stage sampling included a ratio of 2:1 replacement slum communities for stratum 1 or small size slum communities (i.e. 2 replacement slum communities for each slum community that needed to be selected). For stratum 2 (medium size slum communities), the first stage sampling included a ratio of 1:2 replacement slum communities (i.e. 1 replacement slum community for each 2 slum communities that needed to be selected). For stratum 3 (large size slum communities), the first stage sampling included a ratio of 1:3 replacement slum communities (i.e. 1 replacement slum community for each 3 slum communities that needed to be selected).

The listing and selection of households in the final stage also followed different field protocols across strata. For stratum 1 (small size slum communities), all households were listed. If the selected slum community had only 5 households, all households were interviewed. If the selected slum community had more than 5 households, systematic equal probability sampling was used based on the updated list to select 5 of them that would be selected to be interviewed. For stratum 2 (medium size slum communities), all households were listed and 10 were selected to be interviewed using systematic equal probability sampling based on the updated list. Lastly, for stratum 3, slum communities were segmented into listing blocks of around 200-250 slum households each. Then one of the segments was randomly selected from each slum community to conduct the full listing exercise. 10 households were selected from the updated list to be interviewed using systematic equal probability sampling.

The survey was fielded over a period of 16 days, using 30 teams of two interviewers each. Each team was responsible for visiting 2 slum communities during this period and administer 10 household surveys in each community. Slum communities were allocated into teams based on practical considerations (e.g. distance of slum communities). During the first two days, interviewers conducted the listing and did the sampling using the field protocols described above for each of the stratum. In the next 14 days, each enumerator visited 5 households each day for a total of 7 times to collect 2-days recall consumption data. At the end of the 14-days period, each enumerator was expected to have completed 10 full questionnaires (5 from each of assigned slum community).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

One household level questionnaire

Cleaning operations

The CSPro data entry program was used for data entry and editing.

最大城市人口占城市总人口的百分比在12-01-2023达33.444%，相较于12-01-2022的33.418%有所增长。最大城市人口占城市总人口的百分比数据按年更新，12-01-1960至12-01-2023期间平均值为30.640%，共64份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2023，达33.444%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1960，为19.085%。CEIC提供的最大城市人口占城市总人口的百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的孟加拉 – Table BD.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics。

BD-Sat provides a high-resolution dataset that includes pixel-by-pixel LULC annotations for Dhaka metropolitan city and the rural/urban area surrounding it. With the strict and standard procedure, the ground truth is made using Bing-satellite imagery at a ground spatial distance of 2.22 meters/pixel. Three stages well-defined annotation process has been followed with the support from geographic information system (GIS) experts to ensure the reliability of the annotations. We perform several experiments to establish the benchmark results. Results show that the annotated BD-Sat is sufficient to train large deep-learning models with adequate accuracy with five major LULC classes: forest, farmland, built-up, water, and meadow.

Bangladesh HIES: Average Household Size: Urban data was reported at 4.180 Person in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.930 Person for 2016. Bangladesh HIES: Average Household Size: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 4.410 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.130 Person in 2000 and a record low of 3.930 Person in 2016. Bangladesh HIES: Average Household Size: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.H004: Household Income and Expenditure Survey: Number of Household: by Size.

Mogadishu in Somalia led the ranking of cities with the highest population density in 2023, with 33,244 residents per square kilometer. When it comes to countries, Monaco is the most populated state worldwide.

The SHAHAR (Supporting Household Activities for Health, Assets and Revenue) project aims to increase incomes and improve unhygienic environments and sanitation conditions in poor urban communities, including slums, in major selected secondary cities in Bangladesh. Using relevant indicators namely socioeconomic; health and hygiene; nutrition and diet; and governance and social institutions the project provides insight into the livelihood conditions and the livelihood security of these slum households. The SHAHAR baseline survey was conducted in July to August, 2002 in slum (basti) communities in Dinajpur. The SHAHAR census survey suggested that only 52 percent of households had children under 5 years of age; doubling the sample size would ensure that the final sample would have at least this many households with children under 5 years of age. This gave an estimated sample size of 271 * 2 = 542. As slum dwellers are assumed to be highly mobile, and the losses would increase over the year between round I in July – August, 2002 and round III a year later, a substantial reserve was added to the sample, as well as some allowance for refusal or other non-response, for a final total of 614 households. The field survey was carried out by two teams, each consisting of three male and female pairs and a supervisor. One pair interviewed one household at a time, with the female interviewer interviewing the main female member of the household and collecting information on household composition, migration and education; training; savings; loans; food consumption; household food security; health; anthropometry and childcare; environment, water and sanitation; shocks and coping strategies; social capital; crime, violence, physical security; governance; and women’s status. The male interviewer interviewed the main male member of the household asking questions on language, religion, and migration; training; employment; transfers, social assistance and other income; household assets; land own ership and tenure; urban agriculture; savings; loans; housing; non food expenditure; shocks and coping strategies; social capital; crime, violence and physical security; and governance. The pairs on each team worked together to cover three households per day and the 614 households surveyed in approximately 39 days in July to August, 2002 in Dinajpur. The SHAHAR (Supporting Household Activities for Health, Assets and Revenue) Dinajpur baseline survey was conducted in collaboration with Data Analysis and Technical Assistance (DATA), Dhaka, Bangladesh; and CARE-Bangladesh. The questionnaires were developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The funding for the survey was provided by CARE-Bangladesh; and US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 1 Member data was reported at 0.230 Unit mn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.140 Unit mn for 2010. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 1 Member data is updated yearly, averaging 0.120 Unit mn from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.230 Unit mn in 2016 and a record low of 0.050 Unit mn in 2000. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 1 Member data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.H004: Household Income and Expenditure Survey: Number of Household: by Size.

Abstract

The 2017-18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (2017-18 BDHS) is a nationwide survey with a nationally representative sample of approximately 20,250 selected households. All ever-married women age 15-49 who are usual members of the selected households or who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for individual interviews. The survey was designed to produce reliable estimates for key indicators at the national level as well as for urban and rural areas and each of the country’s eight divisions: Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet.

The main objective of the 2017-18 BDHS is to provide up-to-date information on fertility and fertility preferences; childhood mortality levels and causes of death; awareness, approval, and use of family planning methods; maternal and child health, including breastfeeding practices and nutritional status; newborn care; women’s empowerment; selected noncommunicable diseases (NCDS); and availability and accessibility of health and family planning services at the community level.

This information is intended to assist policymakers and program managers in monitoring and evaluating the 4th Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Program (4th HPNSP) 2017-2022 of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and to provide estimates for 14 major indicators of the HPNSP Results Framework (MOHFW 2017).

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Community

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49 and all children aged 0-5 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for the 2017-18 BDHS is nationally representative and covers the entire population residing in non-institutional dwelling units in the country. The survey used a list of enumeration areas (EAs) from the 2011 Population and Housing Census of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, provided by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), as a sampling frame (BBS 2011). The primary sampling unit (PSU) of the survey is an EA with an average of about 120 households.

Bangladesh consists of eight administrative divisions: Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet. Each division is divided into zilas and each zila into upazilas. Each urban area in an upazila is divided into wards, which are further subdivided into mohallas. A rural area in an upazila is divided into union parishads (UPs) and, within UPs, into mouzas. These divisions allow the country as a whole to be separated into rural and urban areas.

The survey is based on a two-stage stratified sample of households. In the first stage, 675 EAs (250 in urban areas and 425 in rural areas) were selected with probability proportional to EA size. The sample in that stage was drawn by BBS, following the specifications provided by ICF that include cluster allocation and instructions on sample selection. A complete household listing operation was then carried out in all selected EAs to provide a sampling frame for the second-stage selection of households. In the second stage of sampling, a systematic sample of an average of 30 households per EA was selected to provide

statistically reliable estimates of key demographic and health variables for the country as a whole, for urban and rural areas separately, and for each of the eight divisions. Based on this design, 20,250 residential households were selected. Completed interviews were expected from about 20,100 ever-married women age 15-49. In addition, in a subsample of one-fourth of the households (about 7-8 households per EA), all ever-married women age 50 and older, never-married women age 18 and older, and men age 18 and older were weighed and had their height measured. In the same households, blood pressure and blood glucose testing were conducted for all adult men and women age 18 and older.

The survey was successfully carried out in 672 clusters after elimination of three clusters (one urban and two rural) that were completely eroded by floodwater. These clusters were in Dhaka (one urban cluster), Rajshahi (one rural cluster), and Rangpur (one rural cluster). A total of 20,160 households were selected for the survey.

For further details on sample selection, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The 2017-18 BDHS used six types of questionnaires: (1) the Household Questionnaire, (2) the Woman’s Questionnaire (completed by ever-married women age 15-49), (3) the Biomarker Questionnaire, (4) two verbal autopsy questionnaires to collect data on causes of death among children under age 5, (5) the Community Questionnaire, and the Fieldworker Questionnaire. The first three questionnaires were based on the model questionnaires developed for the DHS-7 Program, adapted to the situation and needs in Bangladesh and taking into account the content of the instruments employed in prior BDHS surveys. The verbal autopsy module was replicated from the questionnaires used in the 2011 BDHS, as the objectives of the 2011 BDHS and the 2017-18 BDHS were the same. The module was adapted from the standardized WHO 2016 verbal autopsy module. The Community Questionnaire was adapted from the version used in the 2014 BDHS. The adaptation process for the 2017-18 BDHS involved a series of meetings with a technical working group. Additionally, draft questionnaires were circulated to other interested groups and were reviewed by the TWG and SAC. The questionnaires were developed in English and then translated into and printed in Bangla. Back translations were conducted by people not involved with the Bangla translations.

Cleaning operations

Completed BDHS questionnaires were returned to Dhaka every 2 weeks for data processing at Mitra and Associates offices. Data processing began shortly after fieldwork commenced and consisted of office editing, coding of open-ended questions, data entry, and editing of inconsistencies found by the computer program. The field teams were alerted regarding any inconsistencies or errors found during data processing. Eight data entry operators and two data entry supervisors performed the work, which commenced on November 17, 2017, and ended on March 27, 2018. Data processing was accomplished using Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) software, jointly developed by the United States Census Bureau, ICF, and Serpro S.A.

Response rate

Among the 20,160 households selected, 19,584 were occupied. Interviews were successfully completed in 19,457 (99%) of the occupied households. Among the 20,376 ever-married women age 15-49 eligible for interviews, 20,127 were interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99%. The principal reason for non-response among women was their absence from home despite repeated visits. Response rates did not vary notably by urbanrural residence.

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: nonsampling errors and sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 2017-18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 2017-18 BDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability among all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95% of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 2017-18 BDHS sample is the result of a multi-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. Sampling errors are computed in SAS, using programs developed by ICF. These programs use the Taylor linearization method to estimate variances for survey estimates that are means, proportions, or ratios. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

Note: A more detailed description of estimates of sampling errors are presented in APPENDIX B of the survey report.

Data

Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 6 Members and above data was reported at 1.380 Unit mn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.890 Unit mn for 2010. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 6 Members and above data is updated yearly, averaging 1.830 Unit mn from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.950 Unit mn in 2005 and a record low of 1.380 Unit mn in 2016. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 6 Members and above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.H004: Household Income and Expenditure Survey: Number of Household: by Size.

Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 4 to 5 Members data was reported at 5.130 Unit mn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.240 Unit mn for 2010. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 4 to 5 Members data is updated yearly, averaging 3.840 Unit mn from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.130 Unit mn in 2016 and a record low of 2.180 Unit mn in 2000. Bangladesh HIES: Number of Household: Urban: 4 to 5 Members data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bangladesh – Table BD.H004: Household Income and Expenditure Survey: Number of Household: by Size.