Bangladesh at a glance
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Ethnic Groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims
Religious beliefs: Muslim 88%, Hindu 11%, other 1%
Labor force: Agriculture 62%, Manufacturing and Mining 8%, Other 30%
Total population: 147.3 million
Percent of the population under the age of 15: 34%
Urban population: 24%
Life expectancy: 63 years

Focus on reproductive health
Total fertility rate (average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime): 2.7
Contraceptive use among married women aged 15-49: 48% (modern methods); 56% (all methods)
A Woman’s Lifetime Risk of Dying from Maternal Causes: 1 in 51
Percent of births attended by skilled health personnel: 20%*
Abortion is legal in Bangladesh to save the life of the woman.

Focus on young people
Percentage of females aged 15-19 who have ever been married: 48% 
Percentage of females who have given birth by age 18: 46%
Condom use by young people (15-24) at higher risk sex (2000-2006): N/A**

Focus on HIV/AIDS***
Adults 15+ living with HIV (2007): 12,000
Women 15+ living with HIV (2007): 2,000
Women 15+ as a percentage of all adults 15+ living with HIV (2007): 16.7%
Adult (15-49) prevalence rate (2007): N/A
Young women (15-24) HIV prevalence rate: N/A
Young men (15-24) HIV prevalence rate: N/A
HIV prevalence rate among female sex workers in capital city (Dhaka, 2006): .2%

Focus on gender
Literacy rate among women (ages 15-24): 41%
Literacy rate among men (ages 15-24): 58%
From 1995-2002, 56% of females ages 15+ were economically active compared to 87% of males ages 15+
Expected number of years of formal female schooling: 9 years*
Ratio of estimated female to male earned income: .46:1*
Participation of women in national government (% seats held by women): 15%* (NOTE: The parliament of Bangladesh was dissolved on 27 October 2006, in view of elections that are yet to take place. Women held 15% of the seats in the outgoing parliament.

Source: Population Reference Bureau, www.prb.org

*Save the Children, State of the World’s Mothers 2008: Closing the Survival Gap for Children Under 5, May 2008.
http://www.savethechildren.org/campaigns/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report/2008

**World Health Organization, World Health Statistics 2008, May 2008.
http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2008/en/index.html

*** UNAIDS, 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, July 2008.
www.unaids.org

Page last updated 9/4/08.