Browse a full set of economic indicators

Bangladesh

Includes Bangladesh real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Bangladesh economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Bangladesh best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Parliamentary republic

Capital City: Dhaka

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Bangladesh Bank
Currency Taka (BDT)

International Reserves USD 32 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 287.6 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 761.7 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007: 6.5%
2008: 5.5%
2009: 5.3%
2010: 6%
2011: 6.5%
2012: 6.3%
2013: 6%
2014: 6.3%
2015: 6.8%
2016: 7.2%
2017*: 7.6%
2018*: 7.7%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 1,744.5 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP
Intl$ 4,619.8 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: 0.33%
1990: 0.34%
2000: 0.37%
2010: 0.45%
2019*: 0.59%

*Estimate
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 13.1%
industry: 28.5%
services: 53%
(2018 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015: 6.2%
2016: 5.7%
2017: 5.6%
2018*: 5.6%
2019*: 5.5%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015: 6.2%
2016: 5.7%
2017: 5.6%
2018*: 5.6%
2019*: 5.5%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: BB-

Moody’s: Ba3

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015: 33.7%
2016: 33.3%
2017: 32.6%
2018*: 34%
2019*: 34.6%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015: -4%
2016: -3.4%
2017: -3.3%
2018*: -4.6%
2019*: -4.8%

*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 14.8% (2018)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.20% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.05% (2018)
Total exports USD 44.2 billion (2018 estimate)
Export commodities Garments, knitwear, agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather
Total imports USD 66.4 billion (2018 estimate)
Import commodities Cotton, machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, foodstuffs
Exports – major partners US 13.9%, Germany 12.9%, UK 8.9%, France 5%, Spain 4.7% (2015)

Imports – major partners China 21.9%, India 15.3%, Singapore 5.7% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -7.8 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-2.7 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016: USD 2,333 million
2017: USD 2,152 million
2018: USD 3,613 million
FDI Outflows 2016: USD 41 million
2017: USD 142 million
2018: USD 23 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2015: N/A
2016: N/A
2017: N/A
2018: USD 77 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

168 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 131 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 135 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 176 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 184 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 119 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 72 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 151 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 176 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 189 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 154 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking
105 out of 141 countries

(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 121 / Score: 55.6 (Mostly unfree)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC+6

Total Area 148,460 sq km

Total Population 1990: 107.39 million
2000: 132.38 million
2010: 151.13 million
2015: 159.86 million
2020*: 168.31 million

*Estimate
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 5.1%
1980: 14.9%
2000: 23.6%
2018: 36.6%
Population median age 27.1 years
Population growth rate 1.02% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 73.7 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 52.9% (last available estimate, 2016)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 32.4 (last available estimate, 2016)
Freedom House rating
Partly Free
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 0.4% Mobile: 97.3% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 15 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages
Bangla 98.8% (official, also known as Bengali), other 1.2% (2011 est.)
Literacy
Total population: 72.9%
Male: 75.7%
Female: 70.1%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2017 est.)
Religions Muslim 89.1%, Hindu 10%, other 0.9% (includes Buddhist, Christian) (2013 est.)

World Rankings

Population 168.31 M
Mercer Cost of living index Dhaka: 47th (2019)

C02 Emissions per capita 0.47 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Bangladesh

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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