Bangladesh

Population

8th most populated country in the world, currently 174 million and projected to rise to 202 million by 2050.

Rate of population increase

1.05% - annual rate. Growth rate has been slowing down in the last few decades, as the country moves from stage 2 to stage 3 of the DTM

Birth, death and fertility rates

Birth- 16.4 / 1000

Death- 5.5 / 1000

Fertility- 1.9

Population pyramid

Bangladesh has a young population- 58% of the population are under the age of 30. Birth rates have been falling, causing the pyramid to narrow at the base- 1.6 million fewer people under the age of 10 than in the 10-19 age group

Population density

1238 people per km2. Especially high in urban areas because of rural-urban migration. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 40,000 people per km2

Environmental characteristics

Covers less than 150,000km2. Low-lying, flat, hot and wet climate- ideal for growing crops. Rivers flood regularly- soil fertility. Hopes that GM varieties of rice and other crops will increase yields and make the population more food secure

Environmental stresses and population distribution

People are moving to cities. 70% of people living in slums in Dhaka moved there because of environmental pressures

Climate change

Leading to sea level rise, which means flooding is becoming more frequent and some coastal areas are being lost to the sea. Sea level rise is also causing saltwater intrusion

Pressures relating to population density

70% of the land in Bangladesh is already used for farming, meaning there is little capacity for agricultural expansion

Why did fertility rates in Bangladesh use to be high?

Women became mothers at a young age- girls had limited education and there was a cultural expectation that they would marry young and have lots of children.

Infant mortality was high- people had lots of children to ensure some survived past infancy to help the family

Contraception

Proportion of couples using contraception increased from less than 8% in the 1970s to over 60% in 2014. This was achieved by governmental and NGO schemes, such as providing rural communities with health workers.

Infant mortality rate

Has fallen because of a successful immunisation programme. There were only 32 deaths per 1000 births in 2014, compared with 150 in 1970.

Education

Female access to education has increased- the longer that girls stay in school, the later they are likely to be married. Improved education means women are becoming more informed about contraception, which delays the age at which they start to have children

Why is the population still growing?

Improvements to healthcare mean people are living longer- life expectancy at birth is now 73.2 years, compared to 47.5 years in 1970, so the number of older people is growing.

A large proportion of the population is at childbearing age, so the birth rate is still quite high

Migration and population

The net migration rate is -3.1 migrants per 1000, meaning more people leave than enter. Many of those leaving are economic migrants on short-term labour contracts- the most common destination for workers leaving Bangladesh is the Arab Gulf states.

Consequences of population growth and rural-urban migration

Large slums on the outskirts and cities, e.g. Korail is the biggest slum in Dhaka, with 200,000 residents. Slums are made up of poor-quality housing and lack basic services.

Sanitation

Sanitation has been improving, provision has not kept up with the rate of population growth. Only 1/3 of the urban population has access to a piped water supply. The country’s only sewer system is in Dhaka and serves 18% of the population. The lack of sanitation leads to the rapid transmission of water borne diseases

Food security

The growing population means more food has to be produced or imported. As population growth slows down, it is becoming easier for food supply to keep up with demand. The percentage of stunted children fell from 55% in 1997 to 36% in 2014

Changes to population structure

In 2000, 5% of the population was aged over 60, but by 2050 this is expected to increase to 19%. This is increasing the number of non-communicable diseases such as cancer

The number of people under the age of 15 is stabilising, which may make education provision easier, as the school system will not have to expand

Dependency ratio

Falling, which means Bangladesh could experience the benefits of a demographic dividend. To ensure the dividend occurs, there needs to be investment in the health and education system so more people are able to work, especially in skilled jobs.

Remittances

High proportion of working age people means there are lots of economic migrants to other countries. Bangladesh receives $1 billion per month in remittances

Skilled workers

Bangladeshi graduates often attempt to get a job or continue their education abroad, meaning there is a shortage of highly-skilled workers in some professions, e.g. doctors and engineers. However, some migrant workers gain skills abroad which they then bring back to Bangladesh

Deforestation

Increasing demand for agriculture, houses and industry is causing high rates of deforestation- only 11% of the country is now covered by forest. This is increasing soil erosion. Clearance of coastal mangrove forests leads to coastal erosion, flooding and salinisation

Intensive farming

Lack of land to expand agriculture into. Increase in use of fertilisers and pesticides, increasing water pollution from agricultural runoff

Air pollution

Increasing population and economic growth have increased air pollution in cities, mainly because of the huge number of motor vehicles. In Dhaka, the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is over 8 times higher than recommended air quality limits. In 2015, more than 120,000 deaths in Bangladesh were a result of exposure to PM2.5 in the air