Roughly 37.6% of Bangladeshi women of reproductive age (15–49) were anaemic in 2023, according to World Health Organization estimates.
34.5% → 37.6%
Anaemia prevalence among women aged 15–49, 2012 to 2023.
The estimate fell slowly from 36.5% in 2000 to a low of 34.5% in 2012. It has risen every year since 2014, passing its 2000 level in 2021 (36.3%) and reaching 37.6% in 2023. The WHO definition counts non-pregnant women with haemoglobin below 12 g/dL and pregnant women below 11 g/dL.
Why this matters for policy: anaemia in women is linked to fatigue and reduced work capacity, and, in pregnancy, to poorer outcomes for mothers and newborns. A rate this high suggests that iron and folate supplementation, diet quality and the control of infections and blood loss deserve continued attention alongside maternal health and nutrition programmes.
A caveat: these are modelled estimates that combine survey data and statistical adjustment, not annual measurements, so the smooth year-to-year path should be read as a trend rather than precise annual change. The source does not identify the causes of the recent rise.
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, via World Bank WDI (SH.ANM.ALLW.ZS).