The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate A. Tariq KARIM
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244–0183
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mary Ann PETERS
embassy: Road 27, House 110, Banani, Dhaka
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722
FAX: [880] (2) 8823744
Flag description: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside, and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam
Bangladesh Economy
Economy - overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single most important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Even so, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets. Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,570 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 18%
services: 52% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995–96 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998–99
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate: 35.2% (1996)
Budget: revenues: $4.9 billion
expenditures: $6.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate: 6.1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 12.06 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.7%
hydro: 6.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 11.216 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Exports: $5.9 billion (2000)
Exports - commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners: US 31.2%, Germany 9.95%, UK 8.06%, France 5.82%,
Italy 4.42% (1999)
Imports: $8.1 billion (2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners: India 12.2%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China 6.4%, US 5.3% (1999)
Debt - external: $17 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: taka (BDT)
Currency code: BDT
Exchange rates: taka per US dollar - 54.000 (January 2001), 52.142 (2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Bangladesh Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 283,000 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1999)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Bangladesh Transportation
Railways: total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 201,182 km
paved: 19,112 km
unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)
Waterways: up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo routes
Pipelines: natural gas 1,250 km
Ports and harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj (2001)
Merchant