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.

VERSION 1.5. The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in Bangladesh : (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

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. Bangladesh data available from WorldPop here.

The population of the world, allocated to 1 arcsecond blocks. This refines CIESIN’s Gridded Population of the World project, using machine learning models on high-resolution worldwide Digital Globe satellite imagery.

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.

Historical chart and dataset showing Bangladesh population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Bangladesh was reported at 1301 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Population growth (annual %) in Bangladesh was reported at 1.2146 % in 2024, 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 July of 2025.

Urban population (% of total population) in Bangladesh was reported at 41.23 % in 2024, 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 August of 2025.

Rural population (% of total population) in Bangladesh was reported at 58.77 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. An overview of the data can be found in Tatem et al, and a description of the modelling methods used found in Stevens et al. The 'Global per country 2000-2020' datasets represent the outputs from a project focused on construction of consistent 100m resolution population count datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020. These efforts necessarily involved some shortcuts for consistency. The 'individual countries' datasets represent older efforts to map populations for each country separately, using a set of tailored geospatial inputs and differing methods and time periods. The 'whole continent' datasets are mosaics of the individual countries datasets

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

Historical chart and dataset showing Bangladesh population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Population, total in Bangladesh was reported at 173562364 in 2024, 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 August of 2025.

Bangladesh: Rural population, percent of total population: The latest value from 2023 is 59.53 percent, a decline from 60.29 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 38.64 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Bangladesh from 1960 to 2023 is 79.52 percent. The minimum value, 59.53 percent, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 94.86 percent was recorded in 1960.

Population ages 15-64 (% of total population) in Bangladesh was reported at 65.51 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bangladesh - Population ages 15-64 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Bangladesh: Buddhists as percent of the total population: The latest value from 2013 is 0.6 percent, unchanged from 0.6 percent in 2012. In comparison, the world average is 36.4 percent, based on data from 21 countries. Historically, the average for Bangladesh from 1971 to 2013 is 0.6 percent. The minimum value, 0.6 percent, was reached in 1971 while the maximum of 0.6 percent was recorded in 1971.

The Bangladesh Interactive Poverty Maps allow you to explore and visualize socioeconomic data at the zila (district) and upazila (sub-district) level. The tool provides users an easy way to access different types of indicators including poverty, demographics of the population, children’s health and nutrition, education, employment, and access to energy, water, and sanitation services. These maps were constructed by combining three different data sources all of which are publicly available. These include the 2010 Bangladesh Poverty Maps, the IPUMS sample from the 2011 Bangladesh Census of Population and Housing, and the 2012 Undernutrition Maps of Bangladesh.

Definition of variables and data sources

These maps were constructed by combining three different data sources all of which are publicly available. These include the 2010 Bangladesh Poverty Maps, the 2011 Census of Population and Housing sample available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series project (IPUMS), and the 2012 Undernutrition Maps of Bangladesh.

The 2010 Bangladesh Poverty Maps technical report describing the metholody used to construct the zila and upazila national poverty statistics can be accessed at the following link: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/09/30/poverty-maps

The Population and Housing Census sample (IPUMS) dataset can be accessed at the following link: https://international.ipums.org/international-action/sample_details/country/bd

The undernutrition maps produced by the World Food Program (WFP) are available at the following link: https://www.wfp.org/content/undernutrition-maps-bangladesh-2012

Detailed information describing the construction of the variables and sources is presented below.

Basic information:

1) Total population: Total population in the zila/upazila. 2) Share of rural population: Share of the zila/upazila population who lives in rural areas. 3) Working population: Total number of working age population (15-64 years) in zila/upazila. 4) Total households: Total number of households in the zila/upazila.

Source: Indicators 1, 2, 3, and 4 were computed using the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Poverty (among the population):

5) Poverty headcount ratio (%): Percentage of the population that lives below the official national upper poverty line. 6) Extreme poverty headcount ratio (%): Percentage of the population that lives below the official national lower poverty line. 7) Percentage of population in bottom 40%: Percentage of the population in the zila/upazila that belongs to the bottom 40% of the national real per capita consumption distribution.

Source: Indicators 5, 6, and 7 come from 2010 Bangladesh Poverty Maps. The total number of poor, extreme poor, and population that belongs to the bottom 40% were computed using indicators 5, 6, 7 and indicator 1 (Total population in the zila/upazila).

Demographic (among population):

8) Population between 0 and 6 years old: Total population in the age range of 0-6 years old. 9) Population between 7 and 14 years old: Total population in the age range of 7-14 years old. 10) Population between 15 and 64 years old: Total population in the age range of 15-64 years old. 11) Population ages 65 and above: Total population in the age range of 65 and above.

Source: Indicators 8, 9, 10, and 11 were constructed using question 14 from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Question 14. Age (Completed years)

Nutrition (among children below 5):

12) Percentage of underweight children: Percentage of children under five years of age whose standarized weight-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference. population (WHO standard) 13) Percentage of severely underweight children: Percentage of children under five years of age whose standarized weight-for-age is more than three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (WHO standard). 14) Percentage of stunted children: Percentage of children under five years of age whose standarized height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (WHO standard). 15) Percentage of severely stunted children: Percentage of children under five years of age whose standarized weight-for-age is more than three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (WHO standard).

Source: Indicators 12, 13, 14, and 15 were produced by the World Food Program (WFP) and are constructed based on data from the Child and Mother Nutrition Survey of Bangladesh 2012 (MICS) and the Health and Morbidity Status Survey 2011 (HMSS). The total number of children under the age of 5 years was estimated using data from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Primary Employment (among working population):

16) Agriculture: If employed, sector of employment is agriculture. 17) Industry: If employed, sector of employment is industry. 18) Services: If employed, sector of employment is services.

Source: Indicators 16, 17, and 18 were constructed using Question 25 from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Question 25 was asked for persons 7 years of age and older who reported being employed.

Question 25. If employed, field of employment (1) Agriculture (2) Industry (3) Service

Energy & Sanitation (among households):

19) With Electricity: Percentage of households with access to electricity. 20) With flush toilet: Percentage of households with access to flush toilet. 21) With non-flush, latrine: Percentage of households with access to latrine. 22) Without toilet, open defecation: Percentage of households who practice open defecation. 23) With access to tap water: Percentage of households with access to tap water. 24) With access to tube-well water: Percentage of households with access to tube-well water.

Source: Indicators 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 were constructed using questions 8, 9 and 10 from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Question 8. Source of drinking water (1) Tap (2) Tube-well (3) Other

Question 9. Toilet facilities (1) Sanitary (with water seal) (2) Sanitary (no water seal) (3) Non-sanitary (4) None

Question 10. Electricity connection (1) Yes (2) No

Literacy & Educational Attainment (among adults 18 years and above)

25) Literate population: Percentage of adults who can write a letter. 26) Less than primary completed: Percentage of adults who have not completed primary education. 27) Primary completed: Percentage of adults who have completed primary education. 28) Secondary completed: Percentage of adults who have completed secondary education. 29) University completed: Percentage of adults who have completed univeristy.

Source: Indicators 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 were constructed using Questions 21 and 23 from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Question 21. Highest class passed (write class passed code)

Question 23. Can write a letter? (1) Yes (2) No

School attendance (among school-age children)

30) Overall (6-18 year olds): Percentage of children 6-18 years old who attend school. 31) Primary level (6-10 years): Percentage of children 6-10 years old who attend school. 32) Junior level (11-13 years): Percentage of children 11-13 years old who attend school. 33) Secondary level (14-15 years): Percentage of children 14-15 years old who attend school. 34) High secondary level (16-18 years): Percentage of children 16-18 years old who attend school.

Source: Indicators 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 were constructed using Question 20 from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing.

Question 20. Student (Currently) (1) Yes (2) No

Additional Notes: * All national averages reported correspond to weighted upazila/zila level means, except for the nutrition variables and the population in national bottom 40% which correspond to unweighted upazila/zila level means.

The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in Bangladesh: (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

Digital polygon dataset of Population Distribution per District of Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. This dataset is basic vector layer based on LGED Administrative Base Map and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) 2001.

Abstract

The 2022 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (2022 BDHS) is the ninth national survey to report on the demographic and health conditions of women and their families in Bangladesh. The survey was conducted under the authority of the National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of Bangladesh.

The primary objective of the 2022 BDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the BDHS collected information on: • Fertility and childhood mortality levels • Fertility preferences • Awareness, approval, and use of family planning methods • Maternal and child health, including breastfeeding practices • Nutrition levels • Newborn care

The information collected through the 2022 BDHS is intended to assist policymakers and program managers in designing and evaluating programs and strategies for improving the health of the population of Bangladesh. The survey also provides indicators relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Bangladesh.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

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

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49 and all children aged 0-4 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling frame used for the 2022 BDHS is the Integrated Multi-Purpose Sampling Master Sample, selected from a complete list of enumeration areas (EAs) covering the whole country. It was prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for the 2011 population census of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The sampling frame contains information on EA location, type of residence (city corporation, other than city corporation, or rural), and the estimated number of residential households. A sketch map that delineates geographic boundaries is available for each EA.

Bangladesh contains 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 administrative divisions allow the country 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 (237 in urban areas and 438 in rural areas) were selected with probability proportional to EA size. The BBS drew the sample in the first stage following specifications provided by ICF. A complete household listing operation was then carried out by Mitra and Associates 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 45 households per EA was selected to provide statistically reliable estimates of key demographic and health variables for urban and rural areas separately and for each of the eight divisions in Bangladesh.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

Four types of questionnaires were used for the 2022 BDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire (completed by ever-married women age 15–49), the Biomarker Questionnaire, and two verbal autopsy questionnaires. The questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect population and health issues relevant to Bangladesh. In addition, a selfadministered Fieldworker Questionnaire collected information about the survey’s fieldworkers. The questionnaires were adapted for use in Bangladesh after a series of meetings with a Technical Working Group (TWG). The questionnaires were developed in English and then translated to and printed in Bangla.

Cleaning operations

The survey data were collected using tablet PCs running Windows 10.1 and Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) software, jointly developed by the United States Census Bureau, ICF, and Serpro S.A. The Bangla language questionnaire was used for collecting data via computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). The CAPI program accepted only valid responses, automatically performed checks on ranges of values, skipped to the appropriate question based on the responses given, and checked the consistency of the data collected. Answers to the survey questions were entered into the PC tablets by each interviewer. Supervisors downloaded interview data to their computer, checked the data for completeness, and monitored fieldwork progress

Each day, after completion of interviews, field supervisors submitted data to the servers. Data were sent to the central office via the internet or other modes of telecommunication allowing electronic transfer of files. The data processing manager monitored the quality of the data received and downloaded completed files into the system. ICF provided the CSPro software for data processing and offered technical assistance in preparation of the data editing programs. Secondary editing was conducted simultaneously with data collection. All technical support for data processing and use of PC tablets was provided by ICF.