The annual population growth in Bangladesh increased by 0.2 percentage points (+19.61 percent) compared to the previous year. With 1.22 percent, the population growth thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Annual population growth refers to the change in the population over time, and is affected by factors such as fertility, mortality, and migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like Bhutan and India.

Population growth (annual %) in Bangladesh was reported at 1.2217 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Bangladesh BD: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 68.206 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 67.986 % for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 54.654 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68.206 % in 2023 and a record low of 51.360 % in 1974. Bangladesh BD: Population: as % of Total: Aged 15-64 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. Total population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision.;Weighted average;

Historical chart and dataset showing total population for Bangladesh by year from 1950 to 2025.

In 1800, the population of the area of modern-day Bangladesh was estimated to be just over 19 million, a figure which would rise steadily throughout the 19th century, reaching over 26 million by 1900. At the time, Bangladesh was the eastern part of the Bengal region in the British Raj, and had the most-concentrated Muslim population in the subcontinent's east. At the turn of the 20th century, the British colonial administration believed that east Bengal was economically lagging behind the west, and Bengal was partitioned in 1905 as a means of improving the region's development. East Bengal then became the only Muslim-majority state in the eastern Raj, which led to socioeconomic tensions between the Hindu upper classes and the general population. Bengal Famine During the Second World War, over 2.5 million men from across the British Raj enlisted in the British Army and their involvement was fundamental to the war effort. The war, however, had devastating consequences for the Bengal region, as the famine of 1943-1944 resulted in the deaths of up to three million people (with over two thirds thought to have been in the east) due to starvation and malnutrition-related disease. As the population boomed in the 1930s, East Bengal's mismanaged and underdeveloped agricultural sector could not sustain this growth; by 1942, food shortages spread across the region, millions began migrating in search of food and work, and colonial mismanagement exacerbated this further. On the brink of famine in early-1943, authorities in India called for aid and permission to redirect their own resources from the war effort to combat the famine, however these were mostly rejected by authorities in London. While the exact extent of each of these factors on causing the famine remains a topic of debate, the general consensus is that the British War Cabinet's refusal to send food or aid was the most decisive. Food shortages did not dissipate until late 1943, however famine deaths persisted for another year. Partition to independence Following the war, the movement for Indian independence reached its final stages as the process of British decolonization began. Unrest between the Raj's Muslim and Hindu populations led to the creation of two separate states in1947; the Muslim-majority regions became East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan), separated by the Hindu-majority India. Although East Pakistan's population was larger, power lay with the military in the west, and authorities grew increasingly suppressive and neglectful of the eastern province in the following years. This reached a tipping point when authorities failed to respond adequately to the Bhola cyclone in 1970, which claimed over half a million lives in the Bengal region, and again when they failed to respect the results of the 1970 election, in which the Bengal party Awami League won the majority of seats. Bangladeshi independence was claimed the following March, leading to a brutal war between East and West Pakistan that claimed between 1.5 and three million deaths in just nine months. The war also saw over half of the country displaced, widespread atrocities, and the systematic rape of hundreds of thousands of women. As the war spilled over into India, their forces joined on the side of Bangladesh, and Pakistan was defeated two weeks later. An additional famine in 1974 claimed the lives of several hundred thousand people, meaning that the early 1970s was one of the most devastating periods in the country's history. Independent Bangladesh In the first decades of independence, Bangladesh's political hierarchy was particularly unstable and two of its presidents were assassinated in military coups. Since transitioning to parliamentary democracy in the 1990s, things have become comparatively stable, although political turmoil, violence, and corruption are persistent challenges. As Bangladesh continues to modernize and industrialize, living standards have increased and individual wealth has risen. Service industries have emerged to facilitate the demands of Bangladesh's developing economy, while manufacturing industries, particularly textiles, remain strong. Declining fertility rates have seen natural population growth fall in recent years, although the influx of Myanmar's Rohingya population due to the displacement crisis has seen upwards of one million refugees arrive in the country since 2017. In 2020, it is estimated that Bangladesh has a population of approximately 165 million people.

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.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.


Bespoke methods used to produce datasets for specific individual countries are available through the WorldPop Open Population Repository (WOPR) link below. These are 100m resolution gridded population estimates using customized methods ("bottom-up" and/or "top-down") developed for the latest data available from each country. They can also be visualised and explored through the woprVision App.
The remaining datasets in the links below are produced using the "top-down" method, with either the unconstrained or constrained top-down disaggregation method used. Please make sure you read the Top-down estimation modelling overview page to decide on which datasets best meet your needs. Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 3 and 30 arc-seconds (approximately 100m and 1km at the equator, respectively):

- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 ( 1km resolution ): Consistent 1km resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020.
- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020.
- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019)
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted ( 1km resolution ): Consistent 1km resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019).
-Unconstrained global mosaics 2000-2020 ( 1km resolution ): Mosaiced 1km resolution versions of the "Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020" datasets.
-Constrained individual countries 2020 ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using constrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for 2020.
-Constrained individual countries 2020 UN adjusted ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using constrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for 2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019).

Older datasets produced for specific individual countries and continents, using a set of tailored geospatial inputs and differing "top-down" methods and time periods are still available for download here: Individual countries and Whole Continent.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00645

Bangladesh BD: Population: Growth data was reported at 1.222 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.024 % for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.888 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.944 % in 1968 and a record low of 0.815 % in 2021. Bangladesh BD: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years).;Weighted average;

Urban population growth (annual %) in Bangladesh was reported at 3.1224 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Urban population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Population, total in Bangladesh was reported at 171466990 in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The total population in Bangladesh was estimated at 171.6 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Bangladesh Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Bangladesh BD: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 3.122 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.969 % for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 4.138 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.128 % in 1975 and a record low of 2.809 % in 2021. Bangladesh BD: Urban Population Growth 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. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;

In 2015, the population of Dhaka in Bangladesh amounted to about 23.94 million inhabitants. This was an increase of approximately 8.5 million inhabitants compared to the year 2000.

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted. REGION: Africa SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Dhaka, Bangladesh metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Bangladesh BD: Rural Population Growth data was reported at -0.245 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of -0.186 % for 2022. Bangladesh BD: Rural Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.307 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.765 % in 1962 and a record low of -0.245 % in 2023. Bangladesh BD: Rural Population Growth 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. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Employment to Population Ratio for Bangladesh (SLEMPTOTLSPZSBGD) from 1991 to 2024 about Bangladesh, employment-population ratio, employment, and population.

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system. The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Urban population (% of total population) in Bangladesh was reported at 40.47 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2023, approximately 25.5 percent of the population in Bangladesh was aged up to 14 years old. This was a decrease from 2014, when over 30 percent of the population in Bangladesh was aged up to 14 years old.