Economy - overview:
Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly 6% per year since 1996 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.Garment exports, the backbone of Bangladesh's industrial sector, accounted for more than 80% of total exports and were on track to again surpass $25 billion in 2017. The sector continues to grow, despite the need for improvements in factory working conditions to avert further high-profile accidents that have killed more than 1,000 workers in recent years. Steady export growth in the garment sector combined with remittances from overseas Bangladeshis - which totaled about $13 billion and 6% of GDP in 2016 - are key contributors to Bangladesh's sustained economic growth and rising foreign exchange reserves.The recent influx of hundreds of millions of additional refugees from Burma will place pressure on the Bangladeshi government’s budget and the country’s rice supplies, which declined in 2017 in part because of adverse weather.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$686.5 billion (2017 est.)
$640.7 billion (2016 est.)
$597.8 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 34
$250 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
7.1% (2017 est.)
7.2% (2016 est.)
6.8% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$4,200 (2017 est.)
$4,000 (2016 est.)
$3,700 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 177
29.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
30.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
30.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 67.5%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 6.4%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 30.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 15.5%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -20.7% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 14.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 29.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 56.5% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
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
8.2% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
73.41 million
note: extensive migration of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 47%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 13%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 40% (2010 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
4.1% (2017 est.)
4.1% (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
country comparison to the world: 55
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
31.5% (2010 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 4%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.)
32.1 (2010)
33.6 (1996)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $27.08 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $39.31 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
10.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-4.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
28.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
26.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
1 July - 30 June
5.7% (2017 est.)
5.7% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
5% (30 October 2016)
5% (30 October 2015)
country comparison to the world: 80
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
10.2% (31 December 2017 est.)
10.41% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$28.37 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$25.94 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$132.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$121.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$144.9 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$133.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$50.98 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$41.73 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$23.55 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
-$1.751 billion (2017 est.)
$1.381 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$35.91 billion (2017 est.)
$34.14 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
garments, knitwear, agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather
US 16.4%, Germany 15.3%, UK 10.9%, France 6.1%, Spain 5% (2016)
$42.38 billion (2017 est.)
$40.37 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
cotton, machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, foodstuffs
China 26.3%, India 14.8%, Singapore 5.2%, Japan 4.5% (2016)
$33.66 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$32.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$45.07 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$41.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$14.62 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$13.24 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$389.5 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$228.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
taka (BDT) per US dollar -
80.69 (2017 est.)
78.468 (2016 est.)
78.468 (2015 est.)
77.947 (2014 est.)
77.614 (2013 est.)