Bangladesh

COUNTRY PROFILE

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia; and is bordered by India to its west, north and east; Burma to its southeast and separated from Nepal and Bhutan by the Chicken’s Neck corridor. To its south, it faces the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is the world's eighth-most populous country, with over 160 million people, and among the most densely populated countries. It forms part of the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal, along with the neighbouring Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura.

BANGLADESH ECONOMY

Bangladesh is a Next Eleven developing nation with a US$175 billion economy and a per capita income of US$1,190. The Taka is the currency of Bangladesh. The central bank is the Bangladesh Bank. The service sectoraccounts for 51% of GDP, the industrial sector 30% and agriculture 18%. Bangladesh is a major agricultural producer, particularly in the global production of rice (4th), fisheries (5th), jute (2nd), tea (10th) and tropical fruits(5th). Major industries include textiles, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, steel, electronics, telecommunications, energy, fertilizer, cement, leather, food processing and ceramics. The country is the seventh-largest naturalgas producer in Asia. Its exports amounted to US$30 billion in the fiscal year 2013–14. 70% of export earnings came from the textile industry, which is the world's fourth largest textile exporter (after China, India,Germany and Italy). Remittances from the Bangladeshi diaspora and overseas workers provide vital foreign exchange earnings, accounting for US$14 billion in FY2013-14.

BANGLADESH DEMOGRAPHICS

The population of Bangladesh as of 15 March 2011 is 142.3 million (census 2011 result), much less than recent (2007–2010) estimates of Bangladesh's population ranging from 150 to 170 million and it is the 8th most populous nation in the world. In 1951, thepopulation was 44 million. It is also the most densely populated large country in the world, and it ranks 11th in population density, when very small countries and city-states are included.

BANGLADESH HEALTH

Health and education levels remain relatively low, although they have improved recently as poverty (26% at 2012) levels have decreased. In the rural areas, village doctors with little or no formal training constitute 62% of the healthcare providers practicingmodern medicine and the formally trained providers are occupying a mere 4% of the total health workforce. A survey conducted by Future Health Systems revealed significant deficiencies in treatment practices of village doctors, with a wide prevalence of harmful andinappropriate drug prescriptions. There are market incentives for accessing health care through informal providers and it is important to understand these markets in order to facilitate collaboration across actors and institutions in order to provide incentives forbetter performance.

1. PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET

• overview, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

2. HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

• overview