Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Country Profile
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/
8. Europa World Year Book 2001, 42nd edition, 1st volume