BANGLADESH DATA OBSERVATORY

Bangladesh Data Observatory

Key Economic & Trade Indicators

Data on Bangladesh for 2025 shows a population of over 175 million people, a GDP growth of nearly 4%, and a per capita income of approximately $2,820. Recent developments include efforts to curb high inflation and implement economic reforms

Demographic data (2025)

Population: At the start of 2025, Bangladesh’s population was approximately 175 million people. The total population as of September 2025 is estimated at just over 176 million.
Urban vs. Rural: 41.6% of the population lives in urban areas, while 58.4% resides in rural areas.
Median age: The median age of the population is 26 years old.
Internet usage: About 77.7 million people use the internet, which accounts for 44.5% of the population.
Social media usage: There were 60 million active social media users, representing 34.3% of the total population.

Economic data (Fiscal Year 2024–25)

GDP growth: According to provisional figures from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), GDP growth for FY2024–25 was 3.97%, the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank also published revised forecasts closer to 4% due to political and economic uncertainty.
GDP size: The country’s GDP at current prices reached $462 billion in FY25.
Per capita income: Provisional data shows per capita income reached approximately $2,820.
Inflation: Inflation was high in 2024 but has shown signs of easing in 2025.
1. August 2025: 8.29%.
2. July 2025: 8.55%.
3. June 2025: 8.48%, a 27-month low.
4. Foreign reserves: Gross foreign exchange reserves showed a sharp fall in May 2025, to $25.8 billion.

Sectoral performance (FY2024–25)

Agriculture: Experienced a slowdown, with a provisional growth rate of 1.79%, due to natural disasters like flooding.
Industry: Showed some recovery with a growth rate of 4.34%, driven mainly by the ready-made garment (RMG) export sector.
Services: Registered a growth rate of 4.51%, indicating a modest slowdown in service-related activities.

Ongoing issues and reforms

Reliable data: The reliability of certain economic data points, particularly GDP, has been questioned due to flawed methodologies and assumptions used by the BBS.

Institutional reforms: The interim government, which took office in August 2024, has been pursuing economic reforms to address corruption, inefficiency, and institutional weaknesses, as outlined in a December 2024 white paper.

Labor law changes: An ordinance was expected by July 2025 to amend the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) to strengthen protections for workers.