Demographics of Bangladesh

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Bangladesh is ethnically homogeneous, with 98% of the population being Bengalis (as are most in neighboring West Bengal, India), though Bengalis are a heterogeneous and considerably diverse ethnic group. They speak Bangla, an eastern Indo-Aryan language. The remainder of the population is comprised mostly of Biharis and various tribal groups (concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts).

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 1991 census provides the most recent estimate of the religious makeup, with 88.3% Muslim and 10.5% Hindu.^[1] The balance is made up of Buddhists, Christians and animists. About 5% of the Muslims (and most of the Biharis) are Shia. According to the 2001 census, 89.7% of the population was Muslim; 9.2% was Hindu; 0.7% were Budhists; 0.3% was Christian and 0.1% was Animist. [1]

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. ^[2] 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).

Contents 1 Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook 1.1 Population 1.2 Age structure 1.3 Median age 1.4 Population growth rate 1.5 Birth rate 1.6 Death rate 1.7 Net migration rate 1.8 Sex ratio 1.9 Infant mortality rate 1.10 Life expectancy at birth 1.11 Total fertility rate 1.12 HIV/AIDS 1.13 Major infectious diseases 1.14 Nationality 1.15 Ethnic groups 1.16 Religions 1.17 Languages 1.18 Literacy 2 Other demographic data 3 References

[edit] Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

[edit] Population

147,365,352 (July 2006 est.)

[edit] 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.)

[edit] Median age

Total: 22.2 years

Male: 22.2 years

Female: 22.2 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Population growth rate

2.09% (2006 est.)

[edit] Birth rate

29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Death rate

8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Net migration rate

-0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] 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.)

[edit] 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.)

[edit] Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 62.46 years

Male: 62.47 years

Female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Total fertility rate

3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)

[edit] HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (2001 est.)

Deaths: 650 (2001 est.)

[edit] 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)

[edit] Nationality

Noun: Bangladeshi(s)

Adjective: Bangladeshi

[edit] Ethnic groups

Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)

[edit] Religions

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)^[3]

[edit] Languages

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

[edit] Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 43.1%

Male: 53.9%

Female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

[edit] 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 it is unknown which of Bangladesh and Russia has the larger population. For example the UN's ESA ranks Russia 7th and Bangladesh 8th, whereas the CIA World Factbook ranks Bangladesh 7th and Russia 8th. At any rate, the population of Russia is in decline while that of Bangladesh is growing. The following table lists various recent estimates of the population.

Source	Year	Population (millions)
National Census[4]	1991	112
National Census[5]	2001	129
UN Population Fund[6]	2003	150
UN Dept Economic and Social Affairs[7]	2005	142
US State Dept[8]	2005	144
Population Reference Bureau[9]	2005	144
CIA	2006	147

[edit] References

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
• This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.