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South Asia

Bangladesh

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India.

Muslim population91%of the population

Population170 millionpeople (current)

CapitalDhakaUTC+6

Currency116 = $1Taka (BDT) (2024)

Country basics

Bangladesh is a South Asian republic on the Bay of Bengal, on the Ganges and Brahmaputra delta.

Bangladesh is among the most densely populated large countries, with Dhaka as its capital and Bengali as its official language. The taka is the currency, and ready-made garments account for most of its merchandise export earnings.

Official name

People's Republic of Bangladesh

Region

Asia · Southern Asia

Government

Unitary parliamentary republic

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+06:00

Driving side

Left

Phone code

+880

Currency

Bangladeshi taka (BDT, ৳)

Member of

Commonwealth; UN

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim 91%, Hindu 8%, other 1%

Languages

Bengali

People and cities

Population

170 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

27.8 years (2025)

Living in cities

40.5% (2023)

Largest cities

Dhaka (capital) 23.210 million · Chittagong 5.380 million · Khulna 955,000 · Rajshahi 962,000 · Sylhet 964,000

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

116 taka (BDT) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$8,500 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

10.5% (2024)

Unemployment

4.7% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

52.8% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

75.2 years (2024)

Doctors

0.72 per 1,000 people (2023)

Hospital beds

0.9 per 1,000 people (2019)

Safe drinking water

98.4% of people (2022)

Electricity

99.4% of people (2022)

Internet users

45% of people (2023)

Literacy

79% of adults (2022)

Land and climate

Climate

Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

SizeSlightly larger than Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined; slightly smaller than Iowa

147,570 sq km

Natural hazards

Droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); Victory Day, 16 December (1971)