Bangladesh: population density and ethnic composition

The national composition of the state, which is among the ten largest in the world in terms of population density and density, but occupies a small territory, is diverse. Interestingly, despite the fact that most of the population of the republic is indigenous, the state as a whole is represented by many small tribal nationalities and is of interest in the ratio of the occupied territory to the density and number of inhabitants of Bangladesh. Population density, population size, area of the territory - these and other indicators influencing the demographic situation are considered in this material and analyzed taking into account the situation of other countries.

Briefly about Bangladesh

The Republic of Bangladesh is a unitary state: all parts of the country are on an equal footing and have no special status or rights. A small state is surrounded by India, with the exception of the 271 km border with Myanmar and the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

To date, Bangladesh is an agrarian-industrial country with a developing economy, it has a significant ethno-cultural education, but remains one of the poorest states in Asia. Periodically, the population suffers from serious natural disasters and social problems: floods that destroy agricultural lands, prolonged droughts or terrorist acts.

The rich culture of the state of Bangladesh. By the way, population density is one of the forming factors in matters of cultural heritage, religion and unique traditions of the region. Such people, different in ethnic composition and religious affiliation, who are forced to live in a small territory, miraculously merge into a unique whole.

The territory of Bangladesh

The territory of the state is almost 150 thousand square kilometers. An insignificant share is occupied by the area of the water surface - only 6.4 km ² in the international borders. On the territory of Bangladesh, it is 92nd in the world and 27th in Asia. Compared with the cities of Russia: the territory of the state corresponds to the area of such cities as Belgorod, Tver or Murmansk, and half as large as Togliatti or Penza.

At the same time, the population does not allow us to feel fully free to the inhabitants of the Republic of Bangladesh. The density of the population of Russian cities commensurate in area is accordingly 20, 76 and even 230 times less. Of course, this is completely unsurprising, because the Asian state is the seventh by density of inhabitants per square kilometer all over the world.

Number of inhabitants of the republic

According to the census of the state, the population of Bangladesh in 2010 was a little over 140 million people. According to the assessment as of 2016, the indicator increased by 30 million inhabitants. The data are proportional to the natural annual population growth, but slightly exceed the demographic projection.

The population of Bangladesh is amazing. The republic is not comparable in size to Russia, but by the number of inhabitants it exceeds Russia by 25 million people. Thus, both in Bangladesh and in Russia live 2% of the population of the entire globe.

Population distribution by regions

Bangladesh is a unitary state (all regions are on an equal footing with respect to each other and the capital and do not have any exclusive rights) and is divided into eight administrative regions - divisions. Each region is called by the largest city in its composition.

Areas, in turn, are divided into districts, a sub-district and police departments. Further, the division depends on the size of the settlement: in large cities, the police department is subordinated to several sections, each of which consists of blocks, in small settlements - several communes.

Most of the population of Bangladesh is employed in agriculture (63%). Therefore, residents who live in large cities (administrative centers of the regions and suburbs), a minority - only 27% of the total number of citizens. At the same time, 7% of the population is concentrated in the capital. In Russia, the ratio of residents of the capital to the total number of citizens is not much larger: 8.4%, but residents of large cities more than 40%.

Comparison of Russia and Bangladesh in terms of population density in the capitals provides the following data: almost 5 thousand people per 1 km ² in Moscow against slightly more than 23 thousand inhabitants in Dhaka. The difference is almost five times less than the overall figure for countries, because the total population density in Russia is 134 times less than the corresponding size of the Asian state.

Changes in the demographic situation

The dynamics of the population of Bangladesh has a positive trend. The number of residents is steadily increasing, which is typical for most developing countries. So, even at the beginning of the 20th century, almost 30 million people resided in the republic, by the beginning of World War II, the population exceeded 40 million, and in 1960 the official census recorded 50 million people.

Since the Cold War, there has been a sharp increase in population: in the last forty years of the twentieth century, the population has increased slightly more than twice. At the same time, according to the natural increase in population, the republic is on the 73rd place in the general list.

Average population density in Bangladesh

The population density of Bangladesh in 2016 is 1165 people per square kilometer. The indicator is calculated as follows: the total population is divided into the territory of the state. As already mentioned, the republic ranks seventh in the world in terms of population density. Ahead of Bangladesh Maldives, Malta, Bahrain, Vatican, Singapore and Monaco

For some reason, questions about the density of the population of Bangladesh (in comparison with other countries) are often found in school textbooks on the geography of Russian eighth-graders:

1. "Where is the largest population density: in the UK, China, Bangladesh?" The answer can be found by referring to the directories. So, the density of the population of Great Britain is only 380 people per square kilometer, and the Chinese - 143. Answer: Bangladesh.
2. "Compare Russia and Bangladesh with population density." The answer can be as follows: "The density of the population of Russia is very low and is about 8 people / km ² . The population density of Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world - 1145 people / km ² , ie, 143 times more. The low density of the population of the Russian Federation is explained by the vast unsettled territories, the high rate in Bangladesh (population density) is characteristic of most developing countries. "

Main statistical indicators

Other indicators in the field of demography are the distribution of the population by age, gender, literacy, fertility and mortality, as well as socially significant values: pension and demographic burden, replacement rate, life expectancy.

To date, the majority of the population (61%) are people of working age, the ratio of men to women is approximately 1: 1 (50.6% and 49.4%, respectively). The average life expectancy of both sexes is 69 years, which is only 2 years less than the global average.

The birth rate in Bangladesh exceeds mortality, the natural increase in the population is positive and is 16 ‰ (or 1.6%). Despite social, economic and food problems, demographic security (security of the size and composition of the population from external and internal threats) in Bangladesh remains at a sufficient level.

Social burden on society

Bangladesh is experiencing a significant social burden on society: every person who is employed must ensure the production of one and a half times more goods and services than is required for him. The child load factor, that is, the ratio of the population below the working age to adult citizens, is 56%. The pension load factor (the ratio of the pension age residents to the able-bodied population) corresponds to the majority of developing countries and is at the level of 7.6%.

National composition and languages

The population density in Bangladesh is 1 km2 high (1145 people), which contributes to the mixing and dense interaction of cultures, religions and ethno-cultural entities. The absolute majority are Bengalis (98%), the remaining percentage of the population are immigrants from Northern India.

Virtually all residents of the country are fluent in Bengali, which is the official language. Natives of the Indian state of Bihar use Urdu in everyday life. Part of the population (especially young people and citizens occupying high ranks) speaks fluent English.

A group of small ethnic groups residing on the territory of Bangladesh includes 13 main tribes and several other tribal nationalities. Classify them by language:

1. Indo-European language family: it includes Bengalis and Biharis, who make up the majority in the national composition of Bangladesh.
2. Sino-Tibetan language family: the Tibetan-Burmese language family (Garo, Marma, Burmese, Mizo, Chakma and others) are widely represented. In total, they make up almost a million inhabitants of Bangladesh, to which 300,000 refugees from neighboring Myanmar (Burmese) are added.
3. The Austro-Asiatic language family: the different language groups of Munda (Santala, Munda, Ho) and Khasi. Tribes live in small groups in western Bangladesh.
4. Dravidian language family: the northeastern group of the language family is represented by only one nationality - oraons or kurukh (self-name). According to their cultural and everyday characteristics, kurukh is close to the people of Munda.

Thus, the ethno-cultural diversity of the republic is significant. However, the Bangladeshi society has not lost its collective character.

Religious character of the republic's population

The diversity of nationalities is the basis for differences in the religious affiliation of the inhabitants. The republic develops along the path of a secular state (at least, the government makes every effort to do this), but Bangladesh de facto remains a religious country. In 1972, the formation of a religious state was stopped by the Supreme Court, which returned the development of the republic to the mainstream of the Constitution.

The state religion - Islam - is professed by almost ninety percent of the population. The Islamic community of Bangladesh has about 130 million people, making it the fourth largest in the world after Indonesia, India and Pakistan.

Adherents of Hinduism are 9.2% of the population, Buddhism - 0.7%, Christianity - 0.3%. Other religions and tribal cults make up only 0.1%, but they can boast of unprecedented heterogeneity due to a large number of disunited tribes.

Problems of the Republic

Bangladesh suffers from natural disasters and terrorism. In 2005-2013, terrorist acts killed the lives of 418 residents of the republic, terrorists and security officers. But the situation with poverty, hunger, droughts, floods and other natural disasters is much worse. Thus, the cyclone in 1970 caused the death of half a million people, the famine of 1974-1975 and the catastrophic flood of 1974 killed two thousand people, left millions homeless and destroyed 80% of the annual harvest.

Comparison of Bangladesh with developed countries

Bangladesh is a typical developing country. This fact confirms not only the historical past, but also the present socio-demographic and economic state of the republic.

Thus, Bangladesh is a typical developing country. Moreover, this is the poorest state among the overpopulated. The population density of Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world, and the number is higher than in Russia. At the same time, the territory of the states is in no way comparable.