Research and data insights on Bangladesh's health, climate, social justice and economy.https://de3plab.orghttps://de3plab.org/research-maternal-healthhttps://de3plab.org/research-maternal-healthMaternal deaths have fallen by almost nine-tenths since 1990, to 115 per 100,000 live births. Reaching the global target of 70 by 2030 depends on getting a trained professional to every birth.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/research-power-sector-fossil-dependencehttps://de3plab.org/research-power-sector-fossil-dependenceIn 2024, 97.7% of Bangladesh's electricity came from gas, coal and oil, and net imports met 48% of energy use. Demand keeps rising while the cheapest domestic fuel loses ground.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEnergyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-economic-growthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-economic-growthGDP grew 3.5% in the year to June 2025 — half the 6.6% average of the 2010s, and the slowest since 1991 apart from the pandemic year 2020.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEconomyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-education-spendinghttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-education-spendingGovernment spending on education was 2.03% of GDP in 2024, almost exactly where it stood in 1999 (2.13%) — the economy has grown, but the share devoted to schools has not.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEducationhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-remittanceshttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-remittancesPersonal remittances received were 7.4% of GDP in 2025, up from a low of 4.6% in 2017 but below the 10.6% peak of 2012.Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEconomyhttps://de3plab.org/research-child-marriagehttps://de3plab.org/research-child-marriageBangladesh has cut child marriage from nearly three in four young women in the 1990s to under half today — but it still has the highest rate in South Asia, and progress is far too slow to meet the country's own targets.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/research-lead-poisoninghttps://de3plab.org/research-lead-poisoningBangladesh ranks among the worst-affected countries on Earth for childhood lead exposure — a silent epidemic that quietly erodes children's intelligence, health, and future earnings.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/research-air-pollutionhttps://de3plab.org/research-air-pollutionBangladesh has some of the most polluted air on Earth. Fine particles at more than ten times the WHO guideline shorten the average life by around five years — more in Dhaka.Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-extreme-povertyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-extreme-povertyIn 1991, 51% of Bangladeshis lived on less than $3.00 a day. By the 2022 household survey, 5.9% did — one of the fastest falls in extreme poverty anywhere.Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/research-dengue-2023https://de3plab.org/research-dengue-2023Bangladesh recorded 321,179 dengue hospitalisations and 1,705 deaths in 2023. A disease once confined to Dhaka's monsoon season has become a year-round, nationwide threat.Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-income-inequalityhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-income-inequalityBangladesh's Gini index jumped from 27.6 in 1991 to about 33 by 2000 and has stayed near 31–33 since, edging down to 30.9 in 2022.Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/research-cyclone-preparednesshttps://de3plab.org/research-cyclone-preparednessIn 1970 a single cyclone killed half a million people. In 2007 a stronger storm killed under 5,000. Warnings, volunteers and shelters made the difference — but the job is not finished.Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-women-in-the-labour-forcehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-women-in-the-labour-forceWomen's labour force participation rose from 24% in 1990 to a peak of 44% in 2022, then slipped to 39% in 2024 — still half the rate for men (81%).Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-child-labourhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-child-labourThe 2022 National Child Labour Survey counted 3.54 million working children aged 5–17. 1.78 million were in child labour and 1.07 million in hazardous work, down from 1.28 million in 2013.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-birth-registrationhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-birth-registrationBirth registration of children under five rose from 10% in 2006 to 56% in the 2019 household survey — but 44% still had no legal proof of who they are.Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-refugeeshttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-refugeesThe number of refugees in Bangladesh — almost all Rohingya from Myanmar — jumped from about 276,000 in 2016 to over 930,000 in 2017 and reached 1.18 million in 2025.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSocial Justicehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-carbon-per-personhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-carbon-per-personBangladesh's CO₂ emissions have grown more than fivefold since 1990, but at 0.72 tonnes per person in 2024 they remain far below South Asia (1.98) and the world (4.69).Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-greenhouse-gas-emissionshttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-greenhouse-gas-emissionsTotal greenhouse gas emissions rose from 75 to 221 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent between 1990 and 2024 — still under 0.5% of the global total.Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-renewable-energyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-renewable-energyIn 1990 almost three-quarters of Bangladesh's energy came from renewables — mostly firewood and dung. By 2021 the share was 25%, and modern renewables still supply under 2% of electricity.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEnergyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-sea-level-exposurehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-sea-level-exposure8.4% of Bangladesh's population lived on land below 5 metres of elevation in 2015 — more than 13 million people exposed to storm surges, salinity and sea-level rise.Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-forest-coverhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-forest-coverForest covered 15.3% of Bangladesh's land in 1990 and 14.4% in 2024. The Sundarbans mangroves, home to the Bengal tiger, are among the most important — and most threatened — of what remains.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTClimatehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-child-stuntinghttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-child-stuntingIn 1997, six in ten Bangladeshi children under five were stunted. By 2022 fewer than one in four were — but that still means millions of children whose growth is held back.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-mental-healthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-mental-healthWHO estimates Bangladesh's suicide rate fell from 4.8 to 2.8 deaths per 100,000 between 2000 and 2021. Under-reporting is likely, and mental health services reach very few people.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/research-immunizationhttps://de3plab.org/research-immunizationRoutine vaccination is one of Bangladesh's greatest public health successes — preventing disease, protecting children, and saving lives every year.Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-tbhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-tbAnalysis of National TB Control Program data shows significant regional variation, with Chittagong division reporting 196 cases per 100,000 population — nearly 1.6 times the national average.Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-electricityhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-electricityIn 2000, only about one in three Bangladeshis had electricity. By 2022, more than 99% did — one of the fastest electrification drives anywhere.Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEnergyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-under-five-mortalityhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-under-five-mortalityIn 2000, about 86 of every 1,000 children died before their fifth birthday. By 2023 that figure had dropped to around 31 — and from 1990, the decline is almost 80%.Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-rice-yieldshttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-rice-yieldsBetter seed varieties, irrigation and fertiliser have lifted Bangladesh's rice yields from 2.6 tonnes per hectare in 1990 to 5.3 in 2024. The same land now feeds far more people.Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEconomyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-girls-secondary-schoolhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-girls-secondary-schoolSecondary enrolment for girls caught up with boys around 2000 and has pulled clearly ahead since — helped by stipend programmes that pay families to keep daughters in school.Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEducationhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-internet-usershttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-internet-usersThe share of Bangladeshis using the internet climbed from under 4% in 2010 to 53% in 2024 — roughly 93 million people, most of them connecting through affordable mobile data.Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEconomyhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-healthcarehttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-healthcareAt 79% of health spending, out-of-pocket costs in Bangladesh are the highest in South Asia — and they have risen, not fallen, over the past two decades.Fri, 24 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTHealthhttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-arsenichttps://de3plab.org/data-insight-arsenicHousehold water testing shows arsenic exposure has fallen sharply since 2009 — but almost all of the progress is at the lower WHO threshold. The number of people drinking water above Bangladesh's own, looser limit has barely moved.Fri, 26 May 2023 00:00:00 GMTHealth