Bangladesh

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Demographics

Apart from very small countries such as Singapore and Bahrain, Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world. The nation, at 982 persons per km², has often been compared to Indonesia's Java.

Related Topics:
Singapore - Bahrain - Most densely populated country in the world - Java

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Bangladesh is ethnically homogenous, with Bengalis comprising 98% of the population, the rest belonging to the tribal people. The vast majority speak Bangla, or Bengali. Bengali, an Indo-Aryan language, is written in the Bengali script. It is the official language, though English is accepted in official tasks and in (higher) education. A small number of people, mostly non-Bengali Muslims from regions of India such as Bihar speak Urdu. A substantial number of non-Bengali tribal groups inhabit the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the southeast and the Northern regions Bangladesh, including parts of the districts of Mymensingh, Sylhet, Rangpur. Almost all non-Bengali Bangladeshis speak Bangla as a second language.

Related Topics:
Bangla - Indo-Aryan language - Bengali script - English - India - Bihar - Urdu - Chittagong Hill Tracts

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Most Bangladeshis (about 83%) are Muslims, but Hindus constitute a sizable (16%) minority. There are also a small number of Buddhists, Christians, and Animists.

Related Topics:
Muslims - Hindus - Buddhists - Christians - Animists

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Bangladesh has a high population growth rate. In the mid-eighties, the government began promoting birth control to slow population growth, but with limited success. However, the Government has gained considerable success in preventing the spread of many childhood diseases, through an effective nationwide immunisation policy.

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Many are landless or forced to inhabit hazardous floodplains, with the consequence of rampant water-borne disease. In an effort to stem the spread of pathogens like cholera and dysentery, international organizations began to promote well-drilling throughout the nation. Several years after widespread implementation of the programme, over a quarter of the population exhibited symptoms of arsenic poisoning. High levels of naturally occurring arsenic in the water table of certain regions has not been accounted for. The effects of arsenic-tainted water still remain a problem.

Related Topics:
Floodplain - Disease - Pathogen - Cholera - Dysentery - Well - Arsenic poisoning - Arsenic - Water table

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