Country Profile

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Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Country Profile

 

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General

Bangladesh is considered one of the least developed nations and has some of the worst health and nutrition outcome data.  The situation is due, in part, to its climactic and demographic characteristics that have slowed economic growth.  However, rapid population growth and political antagonism have also contributed to this point.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy and is divided into six administrative divisions that are further divided into 64 local districts.   The national language is Bengali and is spoken by 95% of the population (Europa), however English is widely understood (UNDP).  About 85% of the population is Islamic with the rest of the population comprised of Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian minorities (UNDP). The country is prone to periodic cyclones and has a rainy season during July and September (Europa).

Economic data reveals that the GDP is increasing steadily, with an average of 4.9% from 1990-1999 and 5.5% in 1999/2000.  However, it is possible that some of these statistics exaggerate economic improvements for the nation as a whole.  In 1999, the services sector contributed 52% of the GDP and employed 25.0% of the population, while the agricultural sector accounted for 21% of the GDP and employed 57% of the population.  In the past, unemployment has been a huge problem and has been most directly impacted by the population growth rate.  Recent trends show a decline in population growth rate that has been attributed to a successful family planning program. (Europa).

Food production has shown recent signs of improvement.  However, the nation remains dependent on foreign aid, estimated at about 1575 million in 1999/2000 (Europa).  The agricultural sector is greatly effected by periodic droughts, flooding, erosion, deforestation, and water contamination (CIA).  Natural resources are limited.  Although, huge stores of natural gas were recently discovered, they are as yet unused (Europa).

Education

Literacy is increasing for the nation as a whole, although there is some evidence that this trend is predominant in urban areas.  Gender disparities in education exist, but this gap appears to be closing.   The proportion of girls enrolled in primary school has increased over the past two decades while the enrollment of boys has remained relatively consistent.  The same trend holds true for secondary school enrollment.  However, even though females still fall very short of males in secondary school enrollment, they are more likely to progress if they remain in school.  The percentage of those who proceed to grade five is 26% and 18% for girls and boys respectively.

Health

In the past, health programs have often given precedence to family planning interventions.  This is evidenced in the rapid decline of fertility compared to other health indicators.  However, access to health services seems to be improving.  There has been an increase in the number of births attended by a trained health worker.  Measles immunizations dramatically increased from 1985 to 1995 then declined again, but coverage remains much higher than before.  The overall decline in the rate of malnutrition, IMR, and under-five mortality rate further evidences the improvement in health services.

There is much room for progress.  A 2000 report by the World Health organization estimated that 35 to 77 million people have been exposed to water contaminated with arsenic.  It is believed it may be the largest mass poisoning in history.  Also, cholera is endemic in Bangladesh and is particularly problematic in rural areas where water and sanitation improvements have been the least ().  Future health concerns will have to focus on the high incidence of tuberculosis, the rising incidence of HIV-AIDS, and the chronic diseases that are associated with a high prevalence of smoking (The Bank).

Food & Diet

It is estimated that 56% of the population under five is underweight and clinical and sub-clinical signs of micronutrient deficiencies are high.  Studies show that more than 50% of women are chronically malnourished, and clinical VAD and anemia are common among pregnant and lactating women (FAO).

There have been efforts in the reduction of clinical vitamin A deficiency, particularly among school children, but average blood serum levels remain low.  This tends to indicate another underlying reason for deficiency that probably has something to do with the high prevalence of multiple micronutrient deficiencies.  There have been programs to combat iron deficiency, but show hardly any improvement.  Little has been done to reduce iodine deficiency and, in fact, it seems to be getting worse.   It is estimated that only 18% of salt is iodized, and the prevalence of goiter for 1993 was 47% (jsi).

Micronutrient deficiency in Bangladesh might be alleviated by food diversification.  The average diet is almost entirely cereal-based, and processed cereals are often stripped of their nutrients.  In particular, more animal sources of food could be beneficial as almost none of the calories consumed come from animals or their products.  However, food diversity is limited in scope by the low availability of tillable land (FAO).

Indicators

Population        

1991

1995

1999

2002

Total

111,935,847

115,453,020

127,146,060

133,376,684

< 5 years

18,775,409

14,216,030

14,509,567

14,977,622

5-14 years

31,783,407

36,211,176

33,416,304

30,087,071

> 14 years

61,377,031

68,717,056

79,220,189

88,311,985

Population Growth Rate

1980-90

2002

2.4

16

TFR (Total Fertility Rate)

1980

2000

6.1

3.1

Under- five Mortality Rate

1980

2000

211

96

IMR (Infant Mortality Rate)

1980

2000

132

73

MMR (deaths per 100,000 live births)

1985-1999  

440

% Pregnant Women Immunized against Tetanus

1998

N/A

DPT Immunization (% < 12 mths)

1999

78

Measles Immunization (% < 12mths)

1999

72

Economic

 

GDP (US $ billions)

1980-90

2000

4.3

5.9

GNP per capita at PPP

1999

1475

GNP annual growth rate

1998-99

3.3

% Below Poverty Line ($1/day)

31.8

Public Expenditure on Health

(% of GDP)

1997

1.6

Public Expenditure on Education

(% of GNP)

1995-1997 

2.2

Education        

1980

1990

1995

2000

Literacy pop. over 15

 

 

 

 

Females

17

23

29

N/A

Males

41

44

52

N/A

Gross Primary School Enrollment

(% of age group)

       

Females

46

66

N/A

N/A

Males

75

77

N/A

N/A

Gross Secondary School Enrollment

(% of age group)

       

Females

9

13

N/A

N/A

Males

26

25

N/A

N/A

Health and Nutrition

 

% of Births Attended

1998

14.0

% Pop. Access Improved Sanitation

2000

36

% Pop. Access Improved Water

2000

84

% Pop. living with HIV/AIDS,

(age 15 -49)

1999

N/A

Weight/Age (% less than –2 z-score)

1995-2000 

56

Height/Age (% less than –2 z-score)

55

Median Duration Breastfeeding

0.0

Food and Dietary Indices

1980

1990

1995

1999

Total Calories Consumed (kcals/day)

1965

2082

2001

2201

Animal Sources of food (kcals/day)

56

60

62

67


 

Sources

    1 http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html 

    2.  http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/ 

    3.  http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 

    4.  http://apps.fao.org/page/collections?subset=nutrition 

    5.  http://genderstats.worldbank.org

    6.  http://www.undp.org/hdr2002/indicator/ 

    7.  http://www.paho.org

    8.  Europa World Year Book 2001, 42nd edition, 1st volume