Bangladesh

A young girl wearing a traditional hat.

Straddling the Ganges/Brahmaputra delta, Bangladesh is one of the most low-lying and densely populated countries in the world. Almost 20 million of its people are extremely poor and vulnerable to natural disaster.

Bangladesh is striving to become a middle-income country with much reduced poverty. This is a challenge. By 2035, its population could reach 200 million, and the capital Dhaka, the second fastest-growing city in the world, is on track to be home to 50 million by 2050. And with climate change, it’s possible that 40% of the country will flood during the monsoon season, compared with 25% today.

Discover more about climate change in Bangladesh

Key facts

Demographic	Values
Population:	143 million
Average life expectancy:	64 years
Average per capita income:	US $1870
Total UK aid received (2008/9):	£135.7m

Find out more in Key facts: Bangladesh

Major Challenges

DFID’s main challenges in Bangladesh are:

making government more effective
giving people access to better health, education, safe water and improved sanitation
lifting people out of extreme poverty and reducing vulnerability to effects of climate change
making growth work for everyone.

Find out more in Major Challenges: Bangladesh

How We Have Helped

Eye of the storm

Oxfam were filming in Gabura, south-west Bangladesh when cyclone Aila hit. They captured the power of the cyclone and the devastation that climate change is having in Bangladesh.