Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Bangladesh: population and ages

Bangladesh: 177 million people on 1 January 2026, number 8 of 237 countries and areas by population.

The UN projects growth until 2071, to a peak of 226 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
176,756,539
Median age
26.3
Births in 2026
3,407,860
Deaths in 2026
913,453
Life expectancy at birth
75.5
Children per woman
2.09
Under 15
27.5%
65 and over
6.8%
Population pyramid, Bangladesh, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+01M1M2M2M
Population pyramid, Bangladesh, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 41.2 million people, so the population is now 4.3 times as large.

The UN projects 3.41 million births and 913,000 deaths in 2026, 2.49 million more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2077.

More people leave than move in: net migration in 2026 is projected at minus 371,000.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024050M100M150M200M250M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Bangladesh: 177.8M

Ages

The median age is 26.3, which is 4.8 years below the world’s 31.1.

27% of the people are under 15 and 6.8% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2061.

Women have 2.1 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.4 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 37.4.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100BangladeshWorld
2026 Bangladesh: 26World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 215 million people, 21% more than now, with a median age of 35.5.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202401M2M3M4M5M1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 3.4MDeaths: 913.5K

Compare Bangladesh with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 51% of the people lived in cities, 47% in towns and semi-dense areas and 2% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 65% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet53.4%2024
Access to electricity99.5%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)79.0%2022
98.8%2024
67.6%2024
29.0%2024
Human Development Index0.6852023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 74.7 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 18.4 more years for women and 16.6 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 10.3 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 19.9.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 209 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 123 million to 350 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 2.91 million international migrants lived here, 1.7% of the population.

In mid-2024, 8.71 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Myanmar1,246,705
Malaysia274,253
China219,299
Indonesia205,947
Laos118,769
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Saudi Arabia2,362,680
India2,293,959
United Arab Emirates1,024,949
Oman737,087
Kuwait406,077

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 233.

CityPopulation 2025
Dhaka36,585,479
Chattogram4,983,553
Savar3,557,381
Brahmanbaria2,914,727
Kishoreganj1,324,096
Sylhet1,242,548
Khulna1,074,134
Kutubdia1,053,339
Chandanaish928,788
Rajshahi755,347

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Bangladesh every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
195041,206,85618.31,910,5631,137,41237.46.37
196051,828,66017.92,539,5371,120,76544.06.74
197069,058,89416.83,271,9211,529,63942.76.84
198088,016,43216.53,975,2891,359,75452.36.33
1990111,633,71717.43,922,8741,335,34055.84.51
2000134,544,30419.73,980,9721,113,44462.03.28
2010152,201,98221.93,329,284920,70368.02.38
2020166,298,02424.63,374,0901,018,76971.42.18
2030186,072,40727.73,252,257973,59176.52.01
2040202,589,42931.72,843,7821,150,31878.81.87
2050214,709,09735.52,730,3171,364,39880.91.81
2060223,149,35838.82,536,6411,637,57482.81.78
2070226,125,80442.42,283,8921,970,54384.41.76
2080224,081,20045.42,138,2702,287,09985.91.74
2090218,048,09747.31,981,1572,514,36287.21.73
2100208,596,51648.71,798,6482,609,19688.31.72

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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