Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly 6% per year since 2005 despite prolonged periods of political instability, poor infrastructure, endemic corruption, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the services sector, almost half of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product.
Garments, the backbone of Bangladesh's industrial sector, accounted for more than 80% of total exports in FY 2016-17. The industrial sector continues to grow, despite the need for improvements in factory safety conditions. Steady export growth in the garment sector, combined with $13 billion in remittances from overseas Bangladeshis, contributed to Bangladesh's rising foreign exchange reserves in FY 2016-17. Recent improvements to energy infrastructure, including the start of liquefied natural gas imports in 2018, represent a major step forward in resolving a key growth bottleneck.
7.4% (2017 est.)
7.2% (2016 est.)
6.8% (2015 est.)
5.5% (2019 est.)
5.5% (2018 est.)
5.6% (2017 est.)
Fitch rating: BB- (2014)
Moody's rating: Ba3 (2012)
Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2010)
$775.076 billion (2019 est.)
$716.65 billion (2018 est.)
$664.403 billion (2017 est.)
note: data are in 2010 dollars
$329.545 billion (2020 est.)
$4,754 (2019 est.)
$4,441 (2018 est.)
$4,161 (2017 est.)
note: data are in 2010 dollars
35.7% of GDP (2019 est.)
33.3% of GDP (2018 est.)
35.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
agriculture: 14.2% (2017 est.)
industry: 29.3% (2017 est.)
services: 56.5% (2017 est.)
household consumption: 68.7% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 6% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 30.5% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 15% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -20.3% (2017 est.)
Overall score: 45 (2020)
Starting a Business score: 82.4 (2020)
Trading score: 31.8 (2020)
Enforcement score: 22.2 (2020)
rice, potatoes, maize, sugar cane, milk, vegetables, onions, jute, mangoes/guavas, wheat
jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, iron and steel, cement, petroleum products, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edible oils, soap and detergent, fabricated metal products, electricity, natural gas
10.2% (2017 est.)
66.64 million (2017 est.)
note: extensive migration of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia
agriculture: 42.7%
industry: 20.5%
services: 36.9% (2016 est.)
4.4% (2017 est.)
4.4% (2016 est.)
note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many persons counted as employed work only a few hours a week and at low wages
24.3% (2016 est.)
32.4 (2016 est.)
33.2 (2005)
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.)
revenues: 25.1 billion (2017 est.)
expenditures: 33.5 billion (2017 est.)
9.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
33.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
33.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
1 July - 30 June
-$5.322 billion (2017 est.)
$1.391 billion (2016 est.)
$33.057 billion (2019 est.)
$29.798 billion (2018 est.)
$27.568 billion (2017 est.)
United States 15%, Germany 14%, United Kingdom 8%, Spain 7%, France 7% (2019)
clothing, knitwear, leather footwear (2019)
$44.801 billion (2019 est.)
$45.725 billion (2018 est.)
$36.001 billion (2017 est.)
China 31%, India 15%, Singapore 5% (2019)
refined petroleum, cotton, natural gas, scrap iron, wheat (2019)
$33.42 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$32.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$50.26 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$41.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
taka (BDT) per US dollar -
84.75 (2020 est.)
85 (2019 est.)
83.715 (2018 est.)
77.947 (2014 est.)
77.614 (2013 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Bangladesh on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bangladesh 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bangladesh 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.