BANGLADESH AT A GLANCE
General information
Bangladesh has demonstrated strong economic fundamentals with a consistent GDP growth rate of above 6% over the last seven years. This Growth in GDP is supported by expanding domestic market and a significant growtu in per capita income. In addition to the domestic demand, low-cost labor with growing skills provide Bangladesh potential competitive advantages to attract labor-intensive industries and serve as a hub to cater the export demands. Moreover, the cost of doing business in Dhaka City is considered to be one of the lowest when compared to other major cities. A study by JETRO Illustrates that the cost of doing business in Dhaka is lowest among 28 South Asian Cities. Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in its 2017 survey mentioned that Bangladesh has continued to be an attractive destination for Japanese companies to do business due to lower production cost and labor wage compared to those of 19 countries in Asia and Oceania.
Official Name | : | The People’s Republic of Bangladesh |
Political system | : | Parliamentary democracy |
Capital name | : | Dhaka |
Time zone | : | GMT + 6 hours |
Major cities | : | Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur |
Principal rivers | : | Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Surma and Karnaphuli.(total 310 rivers including tributaries) |
Principal industries | : | Ready made garments, pharmaceuticals, cements, garment accessories, chemicals, fertilizers, newsprint, leather and leather goods, paper, sugar, jute, ship building |
Principal exports | : | Readymade garments, frozen foods (shrimps), leather, leather products, jute, jute products, tea, ceramic, textile fabrics, home textile, chemical product, light engineering products including bi-cycle. |
Source: beza.gov.bd |
Geography
Location | : | Between 200 34′ and 260 38′ north latitude and between 880 01′ and 920 41′ east longitude |
Boundary | : | North, West and East: India South East: Myanmar(Burma) South : Bay of Bengal |
Area | : | 56,977 sq. miles or 147,570 sq. km. |
Territorial water | : | 12 nautical miles |
Main seasons | : | Summer (March-May), rainy season (June-September) and winter (December-February) |
Climate variations | : | SeasonTemperatureRainfallRelative humiditymaximumminimumPre monsoon32.60C22.40C453 mm74%Monsoon31.50C25.50C1,733 mm86%Post monsoon30.50C21.40C210 mm80%Winter26.50C13.90C44 mm73%Annual30.40C21.20C203 mm78% |
Principal seasonal crops and fruits | : | Paddy, jute, wheat, tobacco, pulses, oil seeds, spices, vegetables, jack-fruit, banana, mango, coconut, pineapple etc. |
Natural resources | : | Natural gas, coal, lime, white clay, granite, glass sand. |
Source: beza.gov.bd |
Economy
Overview | ||
GDP total | : | $249.7 bn (at current prices 2018-19) |
GDP per capita | : | $1677 (at current prices 2018-19) |
GDP growth rate (%) | : | 7.24 (2017-2018) |
Total exports | : | $36.67 bn (June 2018) |
Total imports | : | $52.84 bn (2017-18) |
Total FDI | : | $2.65 bn (2017-18) |
Forex reserves | : | $31.37 bn (Feb, 2018) |
Currency | : | BDT (1 BDT=$0.0121) (avg 2017-18) |
Source: beza.gov.bd |