Bangladesh
Name
| Official name | People's Republic of Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| In Bengali | Gaṇaprajātantrī Bāṅlādeś (গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ) |
| Former name | East Pakistan, 1955–1971; East Bengal, 1947–1955 |
| Demonym | Bangladeshi; the people are Bengalis (Bangalis) |
| Meaning of the name | "The land of Bengal" — Bangla, the land and the language, with desh, country |
Quick facts
| Capital | Dhaka — also the largest city, on the Buriganga; more than 20 million in its metropolitan area, among the densest cities on Earth |
|---|---|
| Official language | Bengali (Bangla) — the language for which the Language Movement was fought in 1952; UNESCO made 21 February International Mother Language Day in its honor |
| Currency | Taka — ISO code BDT, symbol ৳; 1 taka = 100 poisha; issued by Bangladesh Bank since 1972 |
| Time zone | Bangladesh Standard Time, UTC+6, all year |
| Calling code | +880 |
| Internet domain | .bd |
| ISO 3166 codes | BD · BGD · 050 |
| Vehicle registration code | BD |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C, D, G and K |
| Independence | Declared 26 March 1971; won on 16 December 1971, Victory Day, from Pakistan |
| National days | 26 March, Independence Day; 16 December, Victory Day; 21 February, Language Martyrs' Day |
| Constitution | Adopted 4 November 1972, in force 16 December 1972; a referendum on the July National Charter of constitutional reform was held with the 2026 election |
| Population | About 175.7 million (World Bank, 2025); 169.8 million by the census of 2022 — the eighth most populous country in the world |
| Area | 148,460 km² (57,320 sq mi) — land 130,170 km², water 18,290 km²; a little smaller than Iowa |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A red disc on a bottle-green field, set toward the hoist so it looks centered in flight — the sun rising over Bengal and the blood of 1971; the student flag of 1970, adopted without its golden map on 17 January 1972.Flag of Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| National emblem | A water lily on rippling water, ringed by rice, with jute leaves and four stars above — designed by Quamrul Hassan, adopted 1972 |
| National anthem | "Amar Sonar Bangla" ("My Golden Bengal") — the first ten lines of Rabindranath Tagore's song of 1905; adopted 1972 |
| National colors | Green and red |
| National animal | The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), of the Sundarbans — designated |
| National bird | The oriental magpie-robin, the doyel — designated; Dhaka's Doyel Chattar is named for it |
| National flower | The white water lily, the shapla (Nymphaea nouchali) — designated; it is the heart of the emblem |
| National tree | The mango tree — declared in 2010 |
| National fruit | The jackfruit (kathal) — designated |
| National fish | The hilsa (ilish) — designated |
| National sport | Kabaddi (ha-du-du) — designated in 1972; cricket is the national passion |
| National poet | Kazi Nazrul Islam, the rebel poet — the national poet by official designation |
| Symbol status | The flag, emblem and anthem are fixed by the 1972 Order; the animal, bird, flower, tree, fruit, fish and sport are designated by the government |
Geography
| Location | South Asia, on the Bay of Bengal — almost surrounded by India, with a short border with Myanmar in the southeast |
|---|---|
| Coastline | 580 km (360 mi) on the Bay of Bengal |
| Land borders | 4,413 km (2,742 mi) with two countries |
| Border with India | 4,142 km (2,574 mi) — the fifth longest land border in the world; the enclaves were exchanged in 2015 |
| Border with Myanmar | 271 km (168 mi) |
| Highest point | Saka Haphong, about 1,063 m (3,488 ft), in the Mowdok range on the Myanmar border; the CIA World Factbook gives Mowdok Taung, 1,060 m; Keokradong, 986 m, was long given as the highest |
| Lowest point | The Bay of Bengal, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 85 m (279 ft) — most of the country lies below 12 m (40 ft) |
| The great rivers | The Padma (Ganges), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Meghna — some 700 rivers in all |
| The delta | The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta, about 100,000 km² (39,000 sq mi) — the largest in the world |
| The Sundarbans | The largest mangrove forest in the world, some 10,000 km² (3,900 sq mi) shared with India — the Bengal tiger's stronghold and a World Heritage site |
| Largest lake | Kaptai Lake, about 690 km² (270 sq mi), the reservoir of the Karnaphuli dam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts |
| Hills | The Chittagong Hill Tracts in the southeast; the Sylhet hills in the northeast |
| Cox's Bazar | About 120 km (75 mi) of unbroken sandy beach — the longest natural sea beach in the world |
| Islands | Bhola, the largest; St. Martin's, the only coral island; the chars of the delta that form and vanish |
| Climate | Tropical monsoon — a mild winter, a hot humid summer, and the rains of June to October |
| Natural hazards | Cyclones — Bhola in 1970 killed some 300,000 — floods over much of the country most years, river erosion |
| Natural resources | Natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 72%, arable about 61% (2023 est.); forest about 14% |
| National parks | The Sundarbans reserved forest, Lawachara, Bhawal, Himchari, Kaptai, Nijhum Dwip |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 3 — the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat (1985); the ruins of the Buddhist vihara at Paharpur (1985); the Sundarbans (1997) |
| Administrative divisions | 8 divisions, 64 districts and about 495 upazilas |
People
| Population | 175.7 million (World Bank, 2025); 169.8 million (census of 2022) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 1,300 per km² (3,400 per sq mi) — the densest of all countries with more than 10 million people |
| Population growth | About 1% a year |
| Median age | About 27 years |
| Life expectancy | 74.9 years (2024, World Bank) |
| Fertility rate | About 2 births per woman — down from 6.9 in 1970 |
| Urban population | About 42% |
| Adult literacy | About 77% |
| Ethnic groups | Bengali about 99%; Chakma, Marma, Santal, Garo and other indigenous peoples about 1% |
| Languages | Bengali; Chittagonian and Sylheti dialects; English widely used in education and business |
| Religion | Muslim about 91%, Hindu about 8%, Buddhist and Christian under 1% each (2022 census) |
| Largest cities | Dhaka, Chittagong (Chattogram), Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Rangpur |
| Human Development Index | 0.685 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium human development |
| Diaspora | About 13 million Bangladeshis abroad — in the Gulf, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy; remittances a pillar of the economy |
Government
| Form of government | Unitary parliamentary republic under the Constitution of 1972 |
|---|---|
| President | Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, since 21 August 2026 — elected by Parliament 255 to 88 on 20 August, the first contested presidential vote since 1991, after Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on 24 July |
| Prime Minister | Tarique Rahman (BNP), since 17 February 2026 — the first elected government since the uprising of 2024 |
| The 2026 election | Held 12 February 2026 with a turnout of 59.9%: the BNP 209 of 299 seats, Jamaat-e-Islami 68, the National Citizen Party 6; a referendum on the July National Charter was held the same day |
| Parliament | The Jatiya Sangsad, unicameral — 300 elected seats and 50 reserved for women |
| Speaker | Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, who acted as president between 24 July and 21 August 2026 |
| Opposition | Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest opposition party |
| Legal system | Common law, on the English model, with Islamic law in family matters for Muslims; a Supreme Court with Appellate and High Court divisions |
| Administrative divisions | 8 divisions and 64 districts |
| United Nations | Member since 17 September 1974; the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops for many years |
| Regional memberships | SAARC (a founder, 1985; its secretariat is in Kathmandu), BIMSTEC (headquartered in Dhaka), the Commonwealth (1972), the OIC, the D-8, the WTO (1995) |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$470 billion (2025, IMF) — among the 35 largest economies |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$2,700 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$10,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 4–5% (2025), slowed by the political transition, after a decade above 6% |
| Economy by sector | Services about 52%, industry about 37%, agriculture about 11% |
| Currency | Taka (BDT) |
| Garments | The second largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world after China — about 85% of export earnings, some 4 million workers |
| Exports | About US$45–50 billion a year — garments above all, then jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish, pharmaceuticals |
| Export partners | The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, the Netherlands |
| Import partners | China, India, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States |
| Remittances | About US$27 billion a year from workers abroad — around 5% of GDP |
| Jute | The world's largest exporter of raw jute — the "golden fiber" |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank); on track to leave the UN's least-developed-country list |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka; Shah Amanat at Chittagong; Osmani at Sylhet |
|---|---|
| Airline | Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the flag carrier, founded 1972 |
| Main port | Chittagong (Chattogram) — about 90% of the country's trade; Mongla the second; Matarbari deep-sea port under construction |
| The Padma Bridge | Opened 25 June 2022 — 6.15 km (3.8 mi), the longest bridge in the country, carrying road and rail across the Padma |
| Railways | About 3,100 km (1,900 mi), mostly meter gauge, run by Bangladesh Railway; the Jamuna and Padma bridges knit the network |
| Dhaka Metro | The first line opened 28 December 2022 |
| Waterways | About 8,400 km (5,200 mi) of navigable rivers — the launches and ferries of the delta |
History in dates
| 4th century BC | The Vanga and Gangaridai kingdoms of ancient Bengal |
|---|---|
| 8th–12th century | The Pala and Sena empires; the Buddhist vihara of Paharpur |
| 1204 | The Muslim conquest of Bengal begins |
| 1576 | Bengal becomes a Mughal province; Dhaka the capital from 1610 |
| 1757 | The Battle of Plassey; British rule |
| 1905–1911 | The first partition of Bengal, and its reversal |
| 1947 | Partition — East Bengal joins Pakistan, 14 August |
| 1952 | The Language Movement — the martyrs of 21 February |
| 1970 | The Bhola cyclone, 12 November; the Awami League's election victory, 7 December |
| 1971 | Independence declared, 26 March; the Liberation War; victory, 16 December |
| 1975 | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassinated, 15 August |
| 1991 | Parliamentary democracy restored |
| 2006 | Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank win the Nobel Peace Prize |
| 2022 | The Padma Bridge opens, 25 June |
| 2024 | The July uprising; Sheikh Hasina resigns and leaves the country, 5 August; the Yunus interim government, 8 August |
| 2025 | Khaleda Zia dies, December |
| 2026 | The BNP wins the election of 12 February; Tarique Rahman prime minister, 17 February; Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir president, 21 August |
Records & firsts
| The largest delta | The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta |
|---|---|
| The largest mangrove forest | The Sundarbans, shared with India |
| The longest natural sea beach | Cox's Bazar, about 120 km |
| The densest large country | About 1,300 people per km² |
| The second garment exporter | After China — about 85% of exports |
| The largest jute exporter | The golden fiber |
| A language day for the world | The martyrs of 21 February 1952 gave the world International Mother Language Day |
| A Nobel Peace Prize | Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, 2006 — microcredit for the poor |
| The largest NGO | BRAC, founded in 1972 — by most counts the largest non-governmental organization in the world |
| UN peacekeeping | For years the largest contributor of troops to UN missions |
| Rickshaw art | Dhaka's painted rickshaws — UNESCO intangible heritage since 2023 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Bangladesh?
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh — Gaṇaprajātantrī Bāṅlādeś in Bengali. "Bangladesh" means "the land of Bengal" or "the country of the Bengalis"; it replaced East Pakistan at independence in 1971.
What is the capital of Bangladesh?
Dhaka, on the Buriganga River at the center of the country — one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world, with more than 20 million people in its metropolitan area. Chittagong (Chattogram), the main port, is the second city.
How many people live in Bangladesh, and how big is it?
About 175.7 million (World Bank, 2025) — the 2022 census counted 169.8 million — on 148,460 km² (57,320 sq mi), a little smaller than Iowa. That makes Bangladesh the eighth most populous country in the world and by far the most densely populated large one, with about 1,300 people per km².
What are the highest and lowest points of Bangladesh?
Saka Haphong, about 1,063 m (3,488 ft), on the Myanmar border in the Mowdok range of the Chittagong Hill Tracts — the CIA World Factbook gives Mowdok Taung, 1,060 m; Keokradong, 986 m, was long given as the highest. The lowest point is the Bay of Bengal. The mean elevation is only 85 m: most of the country is the floodplain of the world’s largest delta.
What are the great rivers of Bangladesh?
The Padma (the Ganges), the Jamuna (the Brahmaputra) and the Meghna, which meet to form the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta — the largest delta in the world — and empty into the Bay of Bengal. Some 700 rivers cross the country; the Sundarbans mangrove forest, the world’s largest, lies at the delta’s southwestern edge.
Who governs Bangladesh after the 2026 elections?
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, sworn in on 17 February 2026 after the BNP won 209 of 299 seats on 12 February — the first election since the 2024 uprising that ended Sheikh Hasina’s rule — and President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, elected by Parliament 255 to 88 on 20 August 2026 after Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on 24 July; he took office on 21 August.
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