Third and Fourth Periodic Report on CRC - Unicef

Convention on the Rights of the Child
Country Overview
Bangladesh, with an estimated population of about 140 million in an area of 145,570 square kilometres, is
among the world’s most densely populated countries. Seventy five percent of the population lives in the rural
area <strong>and</strong> the majority of the labour force (87%) is employed in the informal economy. Over the last 10 years
Bangladesh has made tremendous progress on many counts especially in key human development indicators.
In 2006 UNDP Human Development <strong>Report</strong> (HDR) ranked Bangladesh 137th among 177 countries with an HDI
score of 0.530 which places it among countries considered to have medium human development, suggesting
that Bangladesh could be a role model by showing that sustained improvement in human development is
possible even in poor countries with relatively modest level of income growth. This is the result of macro
economic stability, low population growth, reduction in aid dependence, food self-sufficiency (with declining
cultivable area). Reduction of mortality rate <strong>and</strong> malnutrition of children, close to 100 percent enrolment rate in
primary schools also played an important role, while other factors are: effective disaster management capacity,
promoting NGOs (non-government organization) <strong>and</strong> revolutionizing microcredit, active <strong>and</strong> free press, a vibrant
<strong>and</strong> pluralist democratic civil society marked by cultural activism <strong>and</strong> developmental debates, <strong>and</strong> most
importantly, increase in women’s empowerment (through mainstreaming women into the development process).
Despite significant achievements made in the recent years, Bangladesh is yet to overcome many challenges.
The country is still one of the poorest in the world with some 40% of the population living below the poverty line,
<strong>and</strong> 33% in absolute poverty. GDP per capita is still very low. Unemployment <strong>and</strong> underemployment remain
pervasive. Only 40 percent of the total population has access to health services, 67 percent to improved
sanitation <strong>and</strong> 75 percent to safe drinking water. The level of child malnutrition is still critical <strong>and</strong> so the maternal
mortality rate. There still remains uneven spread of economic <strong>and</strong> social opportunities, unequal distribution of
assets, growing disparity between developed <strong>and</strong> underdeveloped areas as well as rural <strong>and</strong> urban areas.
Reaching the poorer areas such as coastal areas, charl<strong>and</strong>s (isolated isl<strong>and</strong>s in the river), haor/baor/beel (big
water bodies) <strong>and</strong> hills has often been difficult, <strong>and</strong> there are persistent pockets of seasonal distress (Monga,
for example) whose development concerns remained unaddressed, with few exceptions.
The poverty affects children in terms of their access to adequate food, financial <strong>and</strong> physical resources, health
services, <strong>and</strong> information <strong>and</strong> community affairs. However, children’s issues are articulated in all the
documents/instruments, most importantly the NSAPR/PRSP <strong>and</strong> NPA for Children, <strong>and</strong> many positive measures
are taken with regard to achieve <strong>and</strong> establish the rights of the child.
Population
The total population of Bangladesh stood at 130 million at the time of last population census in 2001. The total
current population of the country is estimated to be over 140 million, giving a population density of 948 persons
per sq. km. There are approximately 25.5 million households in the country with an average household size of
4.9 (dwelling).Of the 2001 population, 67.7 million were males <strong>and</strong> 62.8 million were females, showing a sex
ratio of 106 males to every 100 females. The natural growth rate of the population is 1.54 per cent. The
population is young, with about 13 percent under 5 years of age, 38 percent under 15 <strong>and</strong> 47 percent under 18
years (Table 1.1). The rural population comprises 74 percent <strong>and</strong> the urban population 26 percent. The children
below 18 years total about 67 million. Life expectancy at birth is 64 years for males against 64.5 years for
females.
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