Country page · South Asia
If you were born in Bangladesh
1 in 38 babies · 2.62% of births · about 3,511,630 a year
Right now, about 2.62% of the world's babies are born in Bangladesh — 1 in 38, or roughly 3,511,630 a year and 9,621 a day. Life expectancy there is 74.9 years.
How the 1 in 38 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Bangladesh has about 3,511,630 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 2.62% — 1 in 38. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Bangladesh, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 76.7 · men 73.3 | 74.9 years | 77th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 30.5 / 1,000 | 3.1% | 115th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 24.4 / 1,000 | 2.4% | 116th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 115 | 112th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 2.14 | 89th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 12.0 years | 106th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 23.7% | 107th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $10,154 | 114th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 30.90 | 120th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 33.2% | 150th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 44.3% | 139th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 53.4% | 124th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 2.3 | 79th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 79.3% | 167th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.10% | 100th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 32.0% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Bangladesh compared with South Asia
Life expectancy in Bangladesh is 74.9 years, against a South Asia average of 73.7. The under-5 death rate is 3.0%, versus 2.1% across the region. Income per person is $10,154, against $12,947 regionally; expected schooling is 12.0 years against 12.8. 33.2% of people live in cities, against 40.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Bangladesh | South Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 74.9 yrs | 73.7 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 3.1% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $10,154 | $12,947 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 12.0 yrs | 12.8 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 33.2% | 40.0% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 74.9 years on average, with roughly 30.5 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 12.0 years of school, and income per person is around $10,154. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Bangladesh
The game draws Bangladesh in about 1 of every 38 births. From there the life runs year by year: 74.9 years of life expectancy on average, a 3.0% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $10,154 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in India — 1 in 6
- Chance of being born in Nepal — 1 in 239
- Chance of being born in Sri Lanka — 1 in 610
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Bangladesh?
What is life expectancy in Bangladesh?
How many babies are born in Bangladesh each year?
Is Bangladesh a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.