Economy Overview
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single most important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Even so, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets. Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
Agriculture Products
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial Production Growth Rate
6.1% (2000 est.)
Electricity production
12.06 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity production by source
Fossil fuel: 93.7%
Hydro: 6.3%
Nuclear: 0%
Other: 0% (1999)
Electricity Consumption
11.216 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity Exports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity Imports
0 kWh (1999)
Unemployment Rate
35.2% (1996)
Population Below Poverty Line
35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 3.9%
Highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Budget
Revenues: $4.9 billion
Expenditures: $6.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
Debt External
$17 billion (2000)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
Exchange Rates
taka per US dollar - 54.000 (January 2001), 52.142 (2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996)
