Bangladesh Outpaces Asia and the Rest of the Frontier Markets in Rising Living Standards


 
Bangladesh is a success story where two decades of rapid GDP growth have raised average living standards and reduced poverty.

Bangladesh's GDP per Capita Growth
Index: 1995=100
Bangladesh Outpaces Asia and the Rest of the Frontier Markets in Rising Living Standards


Bangladesh Outpaces Asia and the Rest of the Frontier Markets in Rising Living Standards

* GDP in Purchasing Power Parity terms with added estimates for the size of the informal economy and adjustments for out-of-date GDP base year data.



Real GDP per capita in Bangladesh has risen by 192% from 1996 to 2021 compared to an increase in living standards of 73% in the Asia-Pacific region and 71% among Frontier Markets. On independence in 1971, Bangladesh had a GDP per capita the tenth lowest in the world, but it reached lower-middle-income status by 2015.

Growth has been more inclusive than in India with 14.8% of the population living below the poverty line compared with 21.2% in the latter country. The World Economics Social Factors Index at 61.3 also rates Bangladesh ahead of India at 57.6 and Pakistan at 56.8. There are some longer-term concerns. Bangladesh is vulnerable to climate change and requires significant infrastructural investment.

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