Bangladesh is ethnically homogeneous. Indeed its name derives from the Bengali ethnic and linguistic group which comprises 98% of the population. Bengalis, who are also present in large number in the West Bengal province of India are one of the most populous ethnic groups in the world. Variations in Bengali culture and language do exist of course. There are many dialects of Bengali spoken throughout the country. The dialect spoken by those in Sylhet is particularly distinctive.
The most significant minorities are the Urdu speaking Biharis around Dhaka, Rangpur and elsewhere and various tribal groups such as the Chakma concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Biharis emigrated from the Indian province of Bihar during the 1947 partition of India. In the 1971 independence struggle they supported West Pakistan, and those that remained became refugees. Refugees International has called them a neglected and stateless people as they are denied citizenship and much of the 300,000 of them live in refugee camps, many being born there.[1]
The religions practiced in the region have changed significantly through history. At various times in the distance past, Buddhism and Hinduism were each the dominant religions. The 1947 partition of Bengal along religious lines augmented the existing Sunni Muslim majority in the region. The most recent estimate of religious makeup from the 2001 census reported that the population was 89.58% Muslim, 9.34% Hindu, 0.62% Buddhist, 0.31% Christian and 0.15% Animist. [1] .[2][3] About 5% of the Muslims (and most of the Biharis) are Shia.
As in neighboring India, more than half of the population lives in agrarian rural villages. But urbanization is proceeding rapidly and the capitol Dhaka is one of the fastest growing and largest cities in the world. Other major urban centers include Chittagong and Khulna. [4] The least densely populated areas are in the Sundarbans jungle and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Bangladesh had one of the highest rates of population growth in the world in the 1960's and 1970's. Since then however it has seen a marked reduction in its total fertility rate, from 6.2 thirty years ago to 3.2 (2003 UNDP figures).
Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook
Population
- 150,448,339 (July 2007 est.)
- 124,355,263 (2001 Census)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894)
- 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674)
- 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.)
Median age
- Total: 22.2 years
- Male: 22.2 years
- Female: 22.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate
- 3.09% (2006 est.)
Birth rate
- 29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate
- 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate
- -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- Total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- Total population: 62.46 years
- Male: 62.47 years
- Female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 3.11 children born/woman (2006 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 (2005)
Nationality
- Noun: Bangladeshi(s)
- Adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups
- Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Religions
- Muslim - 89.58%, Hindu - 9.34%, Boudhists - 0.62%, Christian - 0.31% and Animists - 0.15% (2001 Census) [2]
- Muslim - 88.31%, Hindu 10.52%, Boudhists - 0.58%, Christian - 0.33% and Animist - 0.26% (1991 census)
- Muslim - 86.65%, Hindu - 12.13%, Boudhists - 0.62%, Christian - 0.31%, Animist - 0.29% (1981 Census)
Languages
- Bangla (official, also known as Bengali)
Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 43.1%
- Male: 53.9%
- Female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
Other demographic data
Naturally there is some degree of uncertainty about the population, especially in a developing country such as Bangladesh with a high level of illiteracy and rural population. Thus the margin of error is such that in 2005 it was unknown which of Bangladesh and Russia has the larger population. For example the UN's ESA ranked Russia 7th and Bangladesh 8th, whereas the CIA World Factbook ranked Bangladesh 7th and Russia 8th. At any rate, the population of Russia is in decline while that of Bangladesh is growing. Most rankings in 2007 now show Bangladesh to be larger. The following table lists various recent estimates of the population.
| Source | Year | Population (millions) |
| National Census[2] | 1991 | 112 |
| National Census[2] | 2001 | 129 |
| UN Population Fund[5] | 2003 | 150 |
| UN Dept Economic and Social Affairs[6] | 2005 | 142 |
| US State Dept[7] | 2005 | 144 |
| Population Reference Bureau[8] | 2005 | 144 |
| CIA World FactBook[9] | 2006 | 147 |
| UN Population Fund[10] | 2006 | 144 |
| CIA World FactBook[11] | 2007 | 150 |
| UN[12] | 2007 | 159 |
References
- Template:CIA WFB 2006
This article incorporates public ___domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
- ^ Refugees of Nowhere: The Stateless Biharis of Bangladesh, Refugees International, 2006-02-15
- ^ a b c Bangladesh Burueau of Statistics
- ^ The CIA World Factbook's figures are apparently in error because they are incoherent. The 1990-1996 and 2001-2007 editions report 83% Muslim and 16% Hindu, but the 1997-2000 editions (as well as the 2005 Background Note from the US State Department) give Muslim 88.3%, Hindu 10.5%.
- ^ "Bangladesh: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Indicators: Bangladesh". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ Medium fertility variant, "World Population Prospects: 2004 Revision". UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- ^ "Background Note: Bangladesh". U.S. Department of State. 2005-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Country Profiles: Bangladesh". Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "CIA World Factbook 2006". CIA.
- ^ "State of World Population 2006" (PDF). United Nations Population Fund.
- ^ "CIA World Factbook 2007". CIA.
- ^ "World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision" (PDF). UN.