Demographics of Bangladesh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Ethnic groups in Bangladesh)

Total population of Bangladesh, 1961-2003, in thousands. Source: FAO

Bangladesh is ethnically homogeneous. Indeed its name derives from the Bengali ethnic and linguistic group which comprises 98% of the population. Bengalis, who are also present in large number in the West Bengal province of India are one of the most populous ethnic groups in the world. Variations in Bengali culture and language do exist of course. There are many dialects of Bengali spoken throughout the country. The dialect spoken by those in Sylhet is particularly distinctive.

The most significant minorities are the Urdu speaking Biharis around Dhaka, Rangpur and elsewhere and various tribal groups such as the Chakma concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Biharis emigrated from the Indian province of Bihar during the 1947 partition of India. In the 1971 independence struggle they supported West Pakistan, and those that remained became refugees. Refugees International has called them a neglected and stateless people as they are denied citizenship and much of the 300,000 of them live in refugee camps, many being born there.^[1]

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh is one of world's most populated cities.

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 most recent estimate of religious makeup from the 2001 census reported that the population was 89.58% Muslim, 9.34% Hindu, 0.62% Buddhist, 0.31% Christian and 0.15% Animist. [1] .^[2]^[3] About 5% of the Muslims (and most of the Biharis) are Shia.

As in neighboring India, more than half of the population lives in agrarian rural villages. But urbanization is proceeding rapidly and the capital Dhaka is one of the fastest growing and largest cities in the world. Other major urban centers include Chittagong and Khulna. ^[4] 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).

Population pyramid of Bangladesh

150,448,000(July 2007 est.)

124,355,263 (2001 Census)

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.)

Total: 22.2 years

Male: 22.2 years

Female: 22.2 years (2006 est.)

2.06% (2007 CIA est.)

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

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

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

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.)

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.)

Total population: 62.46 years

Male: 62.47 years

Female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)

3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

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

Deaths: 650 (2001 est.)

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)

Noun: Bangladeshi(s)

Adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic group: Bengalis 98 %, Santhals, Chakmas, Garos, Biharis, Oraons and Mundas

2001 Census:Muslim - 89.58%, Hindu - 9.34%, Boudhists - 0.62%, Christian - 0.31% and Animists - 0.15% ^[5] ^[6]

Note that the Bangladesh census website has eliminated the data on religions [2]. Bangaldesh's Hindu population has declined by about 50 per cent since 1971^[7] ^[8]

Religion	1951	1961	1974	1981	1991	2001
Islam	76.91%	80.43%	85.40%	86.65%	88.30%	89.7%
Hinduism	22.05%	18.45%	13.53%	12.13%	10.51%	9.2%
Buddhism	0.76%	0.74%	0.61%	0.62%	0.59%	0.7%
Christianity	0.26%	0.29%	0.30%	0.32%	0.33%	0.3%

Also see Hinduism in Bangladesh.

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali)

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 43.1%

Male: 53.9%

Female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

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 in 2005 it was unknown which of Bangladesh and Russia has the larger population. For example the UN's ESA ranked Russia 7th and Bangladesh 8th, whereas the CIA World Factbook ranked Bangladesh 7th and Russia 8th. At any rate, the population of Russia is in decline while that of Bangladesh is growing. Most rankings in 2007 now show Bangladesh to be larger. The following table lists various recent estimates of the population.

Source	Year	Population (millions)
National Census^[2]	1991	112
National Census^[2]	2001	129
UN Population Fund^[9]	2003	150
UN Dept Economic and Social Affairs^[10]	2005	142
US State Dept^[11]	2005	144
Population Reference Bureau^[12]	2005	144
CIA World FactBook^[13]	2006	147
UN Population Fund^[14]	2006	144
CIA World FactBook^[15]	2007	150
UN^[16]	2007	159

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.