Economy Overview
Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly 6% per year since 2005 despite prolonged periods of political instability, poor infrastructure, endemic corruption, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the services sector, almost half of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garments, the backbone of Bangladesh's industrial sector, accounted for more than 80% of total exports in FY 2016-17. The industrial sector continues to grow, despite the need for improvements in factory safety conditions. Steady export growth in the garment sector, combined with $13 billion in remittances from overseas Bangladeshis, contributed to Bangladesh's rising foreign exchange reserves in FY 2016-17. Recent improvements to energy infrastructure, including the start of liquefied natural gas imports in 2018, represent a major step forward in resolving a key growth bottleneck.
Agriculture Products
rice, potatoes, maize, sugar cane, milk, vegetables, onions, jute, mangoes/guavas, wheat
Industries
jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, iron and steel, cement, petroleum products, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edible oils, soap and detergent, fabricated metal products, electricity, natural gas
Industrial Production Growth Rate
10.2% (2017 est.)
Labor Force
66.64 million (2017 est.)
Labor Force by Occupation
Agriculture: 42.7%
Industry: 20.5%
Services: 36.9% (2016 est.)
Unemployment Rate
0: 4.4% (2017 est.)
1: 4.4% (2016 est.)
Note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many persons counted as employed work only a few hours a week and at low wages
Population Below Poverty Line
24.3% (2016 est.)
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 4%
Highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.)
Distribution of Family Income Gini Index
0: 32.4 (2016 est.)
1: 33.2 (2005)
Budget
Revenues: 25.1 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 33.5 billion (2017 est.)
Budget Surplus
-3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public Debt
0: 33.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
1: 33.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
0: $33.42 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
1: $32.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Debt External
0: $50.26 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
1: $41.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
Exchange Rates
0: taka (BDT) per US dollar -
1: 84.75 (2020 est.)
2: 85 (2019 est.)
3: 83.715 (2018 est.)
4: 77.947 (2014 est.)
5: 77.614 (2013 est.)
