GeoRealityMatch

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country. FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

Yellow water taxi navigates Dhaleshwari River with city buildings in background.View of colorful buildings and mosque along riverbank in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

Asia · Southern Asia

Medium safetyVery affordable cost of livingMedium development

The air is polluted.

BackpackerVery affordable cost of living.
vs Indiavs Pakistan
Safety

116th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.226lower is more peacefulMedium safety
#116 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Safety index
38.4Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferLowNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$2,840national income per person, US dollarsLow
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
2.6New York = 100Very affordableNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
13.9years of median income to buy a median flatExpensiveNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 430% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 155% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$6.0K$12K$10,154 PPP$2,597Inflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $490 a person, $2,195 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2007, $538 a person, $2,388 at PPP, inflation 9.1%2008, $613 a person, $2,555 at PPP, inflation 8.9%2009, $679 a person, $2,675 at PPP, inflation 5.4%2010, $757 a person, $2,834 at PPP, inflation 8.1%2011, $837 a person, $3,051 at PPP, inflation 11.4%2012, $860 a person, $3,434 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2013, $958 a person, $3,691 at PPP, inflation 7.5%2014, $1,094 a person, $3,973 at PPP, inflation 7%2015, $1,224 a person, $4,212 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2016, $1,649 a person, $4,579 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2017, $1,811 a person, $4,883 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2018, $1,965 a person, $5,490 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2019, $2,130 a person, $6,047 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2020, $2,249 a person, $6,641 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2021, $2,483 a person, $7,441 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2022, $2,716 a person, $8,449 at PPP, inflation 7.7%2023, $2,551 a person, $9,155 at PPP, inflation 9.9%2024, $2,593 a person, $9,661 at PPP, inflation 10.5%2025, $2,597 a person, $10,154 at PPP, inflation 8.8%$0$6.0K$12KInflation, % a year12%0200620102015202020252006, $490 a person, $2,195 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2007, $538 a person, $2,388 at PPP, inflation 9.1%2008, $613 a person, $2,555 at PPP, inflation 8.9%2009, $679 a person, $2,675 at PPP, inflation 5.4%2010, $757 a person, $2,834 at PPP, inflation 8.1%2011, $837 a person, $3,051 at PPP, inflation 11.4%2012, $860 a person, $3,434 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2013, $958 a person, $3,691 at PPP, inflation 7.5%2014, $1,094 a person, $3,973 at PPP, inflation 7%2015, $1,224 a person, $4,212 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2016, $1,649 a person, $4,579 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2017, $1,811 a person, $4,883 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2018, $1,965 a person, $5,490 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2019, $2,130 a person, $6,047 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2020, $2,249 a person, $6,641 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2021, $2,483 a person, $7,441 at PPP, inflation 5.5%2022, $2,716 a person, $8,449 at PPP, inflation 7.7%2023, $2,551 a person, $9,155 at PPP, inflation 9.9%2024, $2,593 a person, $9,661 at PPP, inflation 10.5%2025, $2,597 a person, $10,154 at PPP, inflation 8.8%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
74.9years, at birthModerate
#88 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
54WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100LowWHO · 2023
Air pollution
43.9PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageVery highWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
3.8%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
66 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
506EF English Proficiency Index scoreModerateEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet66 MbpsFast
Mobile43 MbpsVery slow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

View of colorful buildings and mosque along riverbank in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
How it changed

Bangladesh's Human Development Index

0.685Medium human development

130th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 34th of 43 in Asia.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #128Tajikistan0.691
  2. #129Tuvalu0.689
  3. #130Bangladesh0.685
  4. #130India0.685
  5. #132El Salvador0.678
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.397 in 1990 to 0.685 in 2023.

0.350.550.750.68519902000201020231990: 0.3971991: 0.3951992: 0.4111993: 0.4191994: 0.4261995: 0.4341996: 0.4421997: 0.4511998: 0.4591999: 0.4682000: 0.4772001: 0.4862002: 0.4942003: 0.5032004: 0.5112005: 0.5202006: 0.5272007: 0.5342008: 0.5382009: 0.5512010: 0.5612011: 0.5722012: 0.5832013: 0.5892014: 0.6002015: 0.6212016: 0.6322017: 0.6332018: 0.6462019: 0.6562020: 0.6632021: 0.6632022: 0.6802023: 0.6850.350.550.7519902000201020231990: 0.3971991: 0.3951992: 0.4111993: 0.4191994: 0.4261995: 0.4341996: 0.4421997: 0.4511998: 0.4591999: 0.4682000: 0.4772001: 0.4862002: 0.4942003: 0.5032004: 0.5112005: 0.5202006: 0.5272007: 0.5342008: 0.5382009: 0.5512010: 0.5612011: 0.5722012: 0.5832013: 0.5892014: 0.6002015: 0.6212016: 0.6322017: 0.6332018: 0.6462019: 0.6562020: 0.6632021: 0.6632022: 0.6802023: 0.685

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
74.9 years2024at birthUp 9.4 years from 65.5 years in 2005
Internet users
53%2024of people onlineUp 52 points from 1% in 2006
Urban population
33%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 7 points from 26% in 2006
Births per woman
2.142024births per womanDown 0.71 from 2.85 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
25%2021of energy usedDown 27 points from 52% in 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityUp 55 points from 44% in 2005
Infant mortality
242024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 22 from 46 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
0.7 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 0.4 t from 0.3 t in 2005
Forest area
14%2023of land under forestLevel with 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Fast-growing garment economy: very low cost, densely populated, flood-prone. The case against is polluted air, low incomes and patchy access to essential health services.

About Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries on earth, a land of great rivers, lush green delta landscapes, and a people of extraordinary resilience and warmth. The culture is deeply rooted in Bengali literature, music, and cuisine, with a hospitality that consistently surprises visitors who venture beyond preconceptions. It is not an easy country to travel, but those who do rarely forget it.

Practical facts

  • CapitalDhaka
  • LanguagesBengali
  • CurrencyBangladeshi taka (BDT)
  • Area129,980 km²
  • Plug typeType A/C/D/M/G
  • Drives on theleft
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Borders

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Quick answers

What is Bangladesh's Human Development Index?

Bangladesh's Human Development Index is 0.685 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #130 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Bangladesh safe?

Bangladesh scores 2.23 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #116 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Bangladesh?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Bangladesh at 22.8 (New York = 100); that is #8 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Bangladesh?

Life expectancy at birth in Bangladesh is 74.9 yrs (World Bank), ranked #88 of 195 countries.

What is the quality of life in Bangladesh?

Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Bangladesh at 73.3, ranked #85 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.