Bangladesh - Poverty and Equity Assessment : Navigating the Road to Prosperity : Executive Summary

Overview & Synopsis

This 2025 Poverty and Equity Assessment examines Bangladesh’s progress in poverty reduction and inclusive development from 2010 to 2022. Poverty in Bangladesh declined between 2010 and 2022, but the pace of progress slowed after 2016, and over one-third of the population remained vulnerable to falling back into poverty. Bangladesh expanded access to electricity, sanitation, and education, lifting 34 million from multidimensional poverty, yet quality deficits such as unreliable power, weak learning, and slow transport limit economic and welfare gains. After 2016, Bangladesh’s economic growth pattern changed as rural areas led poverty reduction with agriculture rebounding while urban manufacturing stalled. Bangladesh has expanded social spending, but weak targeting and misdirected subsidies undermine impact. The country now has the opportunity to launch a new chapter of poverty reduction by emphasizing connectivity, creating more and better urban jobs, promoting pro-poor value chains in agriculture, and strengthening social protection against shocks.