Bangladesh

Fast Facts

Location: South Asia

Capital: Dhaka

Population: 169.35 million (2021)

Government Type: Parliamentary Republic

Language(s): Bengali (as well as dozens of other local dialects)

Climate: Humid sub-tropical, affected by seasonal monsoon rains

GDP: USD $416.26 billion

Human Development Index Ranking: 0.503 (Moderate-Low)

Overview

Nestled between India and Myanmar, Bangladesh is a small country with an enormous population for its size. Even after accounting for micro-states, city-states, and territories claimed by larger nations, Bangladesh still ranks in the top 10 most densely populated countries in the world, with over 23,000 people living per square kilometer in the capital city of Dhaka. Although it cannot be rightfully called an authoritarian state, issues with journalistic freedoms and political opposition have (as in many countries) recently arisen, rights for women and girls have remained difficult, and Burmese internal conflicts have strained Bangladeshi resources by triggering an incoming wave of refugees in the east.

And yet, life in Bangladesh has steadily improved over the past few decades. Life expectancy has grown steadily, and by 20 years, since the early 1990s, GDP per capita has never declined since records began in 1990 (with an increase of approximately 700% from 1990 - 2021), and population control is being undertaken in a responsible, safe, and popular way through education surrounding family planning, birth control provision, and emphasis on better economic stability. Whether Bangladesh can continue to develop in spite of shocks to the international system remains to be seen - but between global financial crises and devastating cyclones, in many ways, it seems to have done so already.

History

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivers the historic speech calling for Bangladeshi independence. Credit: The Independent

Please note that all references to “Bangladesh” refer to the region (at least partially) within the modern-day country’s borders.

Although the history of an independent Bangladesh as we know it today dates back a mere half-century, Stone Age tools dating back 20,000 years have been identified within the country, indicating a long history of human settlement in the area. Rice cultivation in the area is estimated to have begun approximately 4000 years ago.

The first great empire into which Bangladesh was incorporated was the Mauryan Empire, beginning in approximately 320 BC with the decline of Alexander the Great’s empire in the South Asian region. Under the rule of the Mauryan Empire, most famously led by Emperor Asoka, Buddhism arrived in Bangladesh (though, according to popular story, the Buddha himself had visited Bangladesh prior to this period). Following the decline of the Mauryan Empire, Bangladesh was re-named Samatata, and, despite being politically sovereign, served primarily as a tribute state to the neighbouring Gupta Empire of India, which lasted until approximately 540 AD. The short-lived Harsha Empire would later incorporate Samatata into its borders, only to be overthrown by a Buddhist chief named Gopala, who would found the Pala Dynasty famed for providing trade, influence, and security to Bangladesh.

The Pala Dynasty declined several centuries later as a series of kings dying led to power being eclipsed by the nearby Sena Dynasty, who re-introduced militant Hinduism to the area. Islam was introduced to Bangladesh by Turkic invaders from the west, who defeated the last of the Sena kings to secure a Muslim foothold in the country at the beginning of the 13th century. Muslim rule of Bangladesh is generally categorised into three periods: a first phase from (roughly) 1204 to 1342 of consolidation and instability, the emergence of independent local dynasties from approximately 1342 to 1575, and the conception of a centralised political framework in Bengal as a subsidiary of the Mughal Empire.

The decline of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century coincided with the growing power of the British Empire in South Asia, and by the 1760s, the British East India Company had emerged as the most dominant power in Bangladesh. Over the next two centuries, trade was controlled and taxes extracted through a group of elite, wealthy landowners named zamindars. In 1765, Bengal (along with the provinces of Bihar and Orissa) had united into a single political entity. By 1900, they had become too large to unite under a single administration - as such, it was split in 1905 by the ruling British along ethnic and religious lines, with Hindus in the west, and Muslims in the east. This partition caused mass unrest and calls for boycott of British goods, but was short lived: merely six years later, Bengal had reunited to appease the population, but caused resentment in Bengali Muslims, whom had benefitted from partition.

The overstretched nature of the British Empire, combined with two world wars in less than a half-century, led to increasingly impassioned calls for national independence in dozens of its colonies. The end of colonial rule in South Asia officially occurred in 1947, with Britain hastily drawing borders between India and Pakistan (of which Bangladesh was, bizarrely, combined with). In fact, the modern Indo-Pakistani border was drawn in just 5 weeks by Cyril Radcliffe, a lawyer who had never set foot in India. The outcome following the Partition of India was by no means peaceful: divisions across religious and ethnic lines caused mass violence, riots, killings, and the uprooting of 18 million people migrating across newly- (and poorly-) formed borders.

Relations between Pakistan and its subsidiary on the other side of India, Bangladesh (known from 1955 - 1971 as “East Pakistan”) were frequently tense. Refusal to accept Bengali as a state language, a lack of response to the devastating Cyclone Bhola, economic and political disparity, martial law, and general mistreatment of Bengali people are all cited as reasons for a poor relationship. By 1970, the victory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League (a political party that had campaigned on Bangladeshi autonomy from Pakistan) in an election unrecognised by Pakistan, and Bangladesh’s subsequent declaration of independence in 1971, led to open and horrific violence in Bangladesh. Fighter jets, napalm, and tanks were deployed, with crimes committed being considered by some to fulfill the definition of genocide. The conflict spiraled far enough out of control for it to include India’s participation against Pakistan for several weeks.

Since securing independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh’s road to democracy and stability has been shaky. Issues surrounding corruption, military rule, and accusations of electoral integrity violations remain persistent. The introduction of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution and violence in neighbouring Myanmar have certainly introduced a new dimension of socio-political issues in Bangladesh, though the situation appears largely stable - if difficult.

Economy

Despite political uncertainty, the economic outlook of Bangladesh is fairly positive. The World Bank identifies a number of statistics that show positive development, including a reduction in poverty rates from 43% to 14% from 1991 - 2016. It is further expected to graduate from the UN’s classification of “Less Economically Developed Country” by 2026 at current rates. BRAC, one of the world’s largest non-governmental humanitarian organisations, calls Bangladesh a “global model for poverty reduction” due to the popularisation of microfinance programs (such as the Grameen Bank), a strong emphasis on the stabilisation of public health, and more. In fact, Bangladesh’s poverty reduction program has been so successful that leading think-tanks have analysed whether its methods could be scaled up and applied elsewhere in the world’s poorest areas.

However, success is not guaranteed for any country, including Bangladesh. The East Asia forum identifies high inflation, a trade deficit, and a fragile banking system as weak points of the country’s economy. A lack of energy security and reliability for nearly 80% of the country is a further area that requires addressing - though many of the issue’s sources lie externally, such as shifts in international fuel prices following the invasion of Ukraine.

Bangladesh’s top imports include petroleum, cotton, wheat, and fabrics, primarily from major producers such as China, India, the USA, and Indonesia. Major exports include clothing, seafood, pharmaceuticals, and plastic products.

Population Dynamics in Bangladesh - And Why They’re More Hopeful Than You Think

Credit: Rama George-Alleyne via the World Bank

In 2014, the renowned Swedish demographic statistician Hans Rosling hosted a TED Talk entitled “Don’t Panic” in which he focused on why people should feel more optimistic about global population numbers, with a particular focus on Bangladesh. Rosling surveyed the British public asking how many children they believed the average Bangladeshi woman gave birth to, with 35% of British people answering “4.5”. Had the year they were asked been 1990, they would have been correct. But in 2014, the answer was 2.2. In 2022, the answer was 1.95, officially below the replacement rate for the first time.

So how did such a phenomenon occur, when just 50 years ago, the average woman in Bangladesh was having nearly 7 children?

Initially, the programme faced few successes. This was largely attributable to an over-emphasis on contraception, without focusing on child and maternal health - when families believe few children will survive to adulthood, they will have a large number of children. Efforts were further hampered by religious leaders, and experts claim that it was often difficult to communicate with a deeply religious and conservative population. But tides turned when religious leaders were included in the conversation and campaign, girls and women were (respectively) afforded better access to education and contraceptive healthcare, and mass media pointed out that fewer children meant a smaller financial burden. These programmes were even assisted by adaptive government policies responding to past unrelated crises - for example, a famine that emerged in the mid-1970s called for improvements to rural infrastructure, later used by female health practitioners to more easily reach deprived, rural areas.

Efforts made by Bangladesh have not gone unnoticed - and the results have rightfully led to the country receiving international praise.

Trivia

-The roar of the Bengal tiger, Bangladesh’s national animal, can be heard from 3 kilometers away.

-The Bangladeshi city of Mahasthangarh is dated back to approximately 300 BCE, and is the country’s oldest city.

-Bangladesh used to be home to the world’s only third-order enclave. An area known as Dahala Khagrabari was an Indian-owned territory, surrounded by a Bangladeshi territory, surrounded by another Indian territory, surrounded by Bangladesh.

-Bangladesh is the most vegetarian country in the world, with the average person eating only approximately 4kg of meat per year. For reference, the average person in the UK consumes nearly 80 kg of meat per year.