Demographics of Bangladesh

The area which is now Bangladesh has a rich historical and cultural past, combining Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Mongol/Mughul, Arab, Persian, Turkic, and west European cultures. Residents of Bangladesh, about 98% of whom are ethnic Bengali and speak Bangla, are called Bangladeshis. Urdu-speaking, non-Bengali Muslims of Indian origin, and various tribal groups, mostly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, comprise the remainder. Most Bangladeshis (about 83%) are Muslims, but Hindus constitute a sizable (16%) minority. There also are a small number of Buddhists, Christians, and animists. English is spoken in urban areas and among the educated.

Sufi religious teachers succeeded in converting many Bengalis to Islam, even before the arrival of Muslim armies from the west. About 1200 AD, Muslim invaders established political control over the Bengal region. This political control also encouraged conversion to Islam. Since then, Islam has played a crucial role in the region's history and politics, with a Muslim majority emerging, particularly in the eastern region of Bengal.

Urbanization in Bangladesh is proceeding rapidly, and it is estimated that only 30% of the population entering the labor force in the future will be absorbed into agriculture, although many will likely find other kinds of work in rural areas. The areas around Dhaka and Comilla are the most densely settled. The Sundarbans, an area of coastal tropical jungle in the southwest and last wild home of the Bengal Tiger, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts on the southeastern border with Burma and India, are the least densely populated.

Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world at about 1000 persons per km², except a few small countries with fewer than one million inhabitants. In the mid-1980's, the government promoted birth control, which helped to reduce the population growth rate to about 2%. However, Most of the people are relatively young, (the 0-25 age group represents 60 percent of the total population and only 3 percent being 65 or older).

Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

Population

144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 33.1% (male 24,590,207/female 23,162,420)

15-64 years: 63.5% (male 46,764,824/female 44,868,733)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,650,683/female 2,282,761) (2005 est.)

Median age

Total: 21.87 years

Male: 21.88 years

Female: 21.85 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate

2.09% (2005 est.)

Birth rate

30.01 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female

Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate

Total: 62.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Male: 63.65 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 61.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 62.08 years

Male: 62.13 years

Female: 62.02 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.13 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (2001 est.)

Deaths: 650 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: high

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations

Water contact disease: leptospirosis

Animal contact disease: rabies (2004)

Nationality

Noun: Bangladeshi(s)

Adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups

Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)

Religions

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Others: Christians, Buddhists and Native Religions

Languages

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 43.1%

Male: 53.9%

Female: 31.8% (2003 est.)