Bangladesh faces significant socio-economic challenges including overpopulation, inadequate nutrition and health resources, and vulnerability to natural disasters, yet shows potential for growth through effective government policies and international aid. The country is experiencing consistent economic growth, but urgent reforms are needed in agriculture, education, and health to address its high birth rates and alleviate poverty. Collaborative efforts are necessary to enhance agricultural productivity, improve living standards, and manage population growth to prevent future crises.

1. Social Problems in Bangladesh
In examining the economy of Bangladesh, wherever one turns the problems crowd in and
threaten to overwhelm the analysis. Underlying problems that have threatened the young
nation remain unsolved. These problems include overpopulation and inadequate nutrition,
health, and education resources; a low standard of living, land scarcity, and vulnerability to
natural disaster; virtual absence of valuable metals; and inadequate government and
bureaucratic structures. Yet the brief history of independent Bangladesh offers much that is
encouraging and satisfying. The World Bank, leader of the Bangladesh Aid Group,
described the country in 1987 as a success story for economic development and expressed
optimism that the goals of the Third Five-Year Plan, and longer term development goals as
well, could be attained. Government policies had been effective in stimulating the economy.
The private sector had benefited from an environment of greater economic freedom and
had improved performance in banking and production of jute, fertilizer, ready-made
garments, and frozen seafood. The average growth rate of economy had been a steady, if
unspectacular, 4 percent since the beginning of the 1980s, close to the world average for
developing countries.
The picture of day-to-day and even year-to-year performance of the economy of
Bangladesh is a mixture of accomplishment and failure, not significantly different from that
of the majority of poor Third World countries. The government and people of Bangladesh
are entitled to take some pride in the degree of success they have achieved since
independence, especially when one contrasts their success with the gloomy forecasts of
economists and international experts. The international donor community, led by the World
Bank, similarly can be proud of the role it has played in assisting this "largest poorest"
nation to become a respected member of the family of nations.
Works that are useful for gaining a basic understanding of the Bangladesh economy
include Bangladesh: Emergence of a Nation by A.M.A. Muhith and The Political Economy
of Development by Just Faaland and J.R. Parkinson. Rehman Sobhan's The Crisis of
External Dependence provides an insightful critique of the foreign aid sector. Kirsten
Westergaard's State and Rural Society in Bangladesh provides information on agricultural
development in the context of the relationship between the state and rural society. Articles
by Abu Muhammad Shajaat Ali and Akhter Hameed Khan provide agricultural case studies
on the village of Shyampur and the Comilla Model, respectively. The Far Eastern Economic
Review and Economist both carry timely reports on the state of the economy. Among the
most important sources of information on the economy, however, is the documentation
provided by various agencies of the governments of Bangladesh and the United States and
the World Bank. Important among these is the annual Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh
published by the Ministry of Planning. The Bibliography of Asian Studies each year carries
numerous reports on the macroeconomy of Bangladesh and should be consulted for
details.
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2. A Definition of Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a term that refers to a condition in which the density enlarges to a limit
that provokes the environmental deterioration, a drop in the quality of life, or a population
collapse.
Impacts of Overpopulation
 Grain Production
 Falling since 1950
 Cropland, Irrigation, and Crop Yield are all Falling
 Cropland
 Shrunk by 50% between 1960 & 1998
 Further 70% loss by 2050
 Fresh Water
 1 Billion People Will Be Living In Countries Facing Water Scarcity in
2050
 Substantial Cutbacks in Irrigation Water will be Needed
 Oceanic Fish Catch
 1988: 17.2 Kilograms of Oceanic Catch/Person
 2050: 9.9 Kilograms of Oceanic Catch/Person
 Meat Production
 An Estimated 37% of World Grain Harvest is Used to Feed Livestock
 Total Meat Consumption will Rise from 211 Million Tons to 513 Million
Tons
 Further Pressure on Grain Supply
 Natural Recreation Areas
 Threatened to be Eliminated Due to Human Encroachment
 Forests
 75% of the Loss of Global Forests has Occurred in the 20th century
 Loss of Forests Lead to a Loss of:
 Habitat
 Carbon Storage; Which Regulates Climate
 Erosion Control
 Regulation of Rainfall
 Biodiversity
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3.  Species Loss is 100 to 1,000 Times the Natural Rate
 Climate Change
 Mainly Due to Fossil Fuel Burning
 Emissions From Developing Countries will Quadruple Over the next ½
Century
 Emissions From industrial Countries will Increase by 30%
 Energy
 Demand for Energy Grew Twice as Fast as Population Over the Last
50 Years
 Asia’s Energy Consumption is Expected to Grow 361%; Population will
Only Grow 50%
 Waste
 Even in Countries Where Population is Stable, the Flow of Waste
Continues to Increase
Bangladesh
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4. Location
Bangladesh is located in South Asia with a population of 200 million people. That’s 2/3 of
the United States population living in a place the size of Wisconsin
 It has the longest delta area in the world which promotes mass trade among foreign
markets.
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5.  With the amount of trading that occurs here one would think many of its inhabitants
would live comfortably, but this is not the case.
Main Causes of Overpopulation in Bangladesh
 Family size
 Housing
 Bad transportation system
 Unemployment/poverty/famine
 Disease/Poor water quality
Family Size
 The average Bangladeshi family consists of 1 father, 1-6 mothers, and 3-50 children
 Bangladeshi women have an average of 4.23 children during their lifetime.
 Contraceptives have been introduced, but have been widely rejected by the men of
families due to their Islamic faith.
Lack of Housing
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6. Large families usually live in one room shacks or with other families in a communal house.
Up to 70 people may all live in the same house.
**Space equivalent:
It’s like 12 people living in a double room.
Transportation
 Road crashes – Medical/funeral expenses, head of household unemployment
 Crowded public transportation dangers:
• Buses &Trains: falls,fire,violence
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7. A typical double bus in Bangladesh which carries up to 100 people, A bus fire which killed
20 people and injured 13 others.
Trains
You can see the risk in taking the train to work, but people need to earn money to support
their large families at home.
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8. Poverty
 Mass unemployment : not enough jobs for working people leads to a lack of
resources and food in the family unit.
 Famine caused by a lack of rainfall and fertile land occurs often and has a big impact
 Many children starve as a result every year.
Disease and Healthcare
Many diseases run ramped throughout Bangladesh due to close living quarters and
inevitable person to person contact. The worse diseases currently affecting Bangladesh are
Diarrheal disease and Cholera.
Diarrheal disease is caused by the consumption of unsanitary water. Seasonal flooding
causes rivers to overflow and run through the streets of larger cities in Bangladesh. During
this time various bacteria, wastes, and microorganisms are accumulated. The water is then
carried to smaller villages where there is increased poverty. The majority of residents in
Bangladesh cannot afford bottled water, nor do small towns have ways in which to treat
and purify the water before it is drunk.
Cholera is a direct result of the aforementioned water contamination. These bacteria attach
to plankton and are ingested. This causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and sometimes death if
not treated. A good thing about this is that it is self-limiting because people develop
immunity after being infected more than once.
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9. The case of Bangladesh may be considered as an example. More than 150 million people
live in a small country like Bangladesh. Still some 380 new children are born everyday in
this country. If this continues the population of the country will be doubled in 30 years. The
wealth of the country is limited. So with the growth of population the want of the country is
increasing.
This causes shortage of food, houses, clothing, education and medical facilities. Again the
hungry and ailing children do not turn into manpower. They become menace to the society.
They die from starvation. The government is to spend a lot of foreign exchange every year
to import food for these hungry people. As a result, the economic plan of the country suffers
much. So the people of the country must have small family to bring happiness and
prosperity to them and to the state. If nothing positive is done to check the growth of
population, serious food problem will be the result. And the prosperity of the country will not
come if this problem is not satisfactorily solved.
Bangladesh needs a rise in agricultural productivity, increased personal incomes, and
reduced poverty. Education of its citizens is one way to that end. The government is
encouraging this with a Food for Education initiative, where poor families are given food
when they send their children to school rather than to work. Other suggestions include
training courses for rural residents on various aspects of farming, such as production of
major crops, raising summer and winter vegetables, and homestead management. The
government is also attempting to address overpopulation problems. The current birth rate is
3.7 children per woman. Their target birth rate is 2.2 children per woman; however, this
goal will most likely not be reached for at least another decade. A system of rural health
clinics is also addressing a need in the country. Other countries may need to assist
Bangladesh by providing technology initiatives on crops, vegetables, poultry, dairy,
nutrition, health, sanitation, and environmental protection and preservation. Workshops for
rural men and women on sustainable agriculture topics, as well as health topics, may help
with both agricultural productivity and quality of life.
Bangladesh is going need major reforms in order to keep the current situation from
developing into a famine. Bangladesh has fertile soils and abundant water in its rivers.
These rivers also pose threats and problems of their own. Bangladesh’s population puts
major strain on its agricultural system and on the land currently available. Child labor needs
to be controlled- if not stopped, and new sources of income need to be found. Current
housing and living situations need to be addressed. The population needs basic education
and specific education on new farming techniques, healthy lifestyles, raising livestock, and
crop management. Crops need to be studied to come up with varieties that well help
rejuvenate Bangladesh’s soils. The ultimate goal of Bangladesh, and of those countries
offering aid, is to reach a point where food production at equals the population- if not
surpassing it. The Bangladeshi government needs to look into biotechnology, even if it
comes in the form of help from other countries. Problems in health and nutrition also need
to be addressed. Conferences, seminars, and workshops offered to the general public on
these topics may be able to help boost production and reduce poverty. Bangladesh is going
need a lot of help from other countries and the citizens also need to be willing to accept and
adopt new ideas to change their dark future into a bright one.
www.asadsaimon.com

10. The case of Bangladesh may be considered as an example. More than 150 million people
live in a small country like Bangladesh. Still some 380 new children are born everyday in
this country. If this continues the population of the country will be doubled in 30 years. The
wealth of the country is limited. So with the growth of population the want of the country is
increasing.
This causes shortage of food, houses, clothing, education and medical facilities. Again the
hungry and ailing children do not turn into manpower. They become menace to the society.
They die from starvation. The government is to spend a lot of foreign exchange every year
to import food for these hungry people. As a result, the economic plan of the country suffers
much. So the people of the country must have small family to bring happiness and
prosperity to them and to the state. If nothing positive is done to check the growth of
population, serious food problem will be the result. And the prosperity of the country will not
come if this problem is not satisfactorily solved.
Bangladesh needs a rise in agricultural productivity, increased personal incomes, and
reduced poverty. Education of its citizens is one way to that end. The government is
encouraging this with a Food for Education initiative, where poor families are given food
when they send their children to school rather than to work. Other suggestions include
training courses for rural residents on various aspects of farming, such as production of
major crops, raising summer and winter vegetables, and homestead management. The
government is also attempting to address overpopulation problems. The current birth rate is
3.7 children per woman. Their target birth rate is 2.2 children per woman; however, this
goal will most likely not be reached for at least another decade. A system of rural health
clinics is also addressing a need in the country. Other countries may need to assist
Bangladesh by providing technology initiatives on crops, vegetables, poultry, dairy,
nutrition, health, sanitation, and environmental protection and preservation. Workshops for
rural men and women on sustainable agriculture topics, as well as health topics, may help
with both agricultural productivity and quality of life.
Bangladesh is going need major reforms in order to keep the current situation from
developing into a famine. Bangladesh has fertile soils and abundant water in its rivers.
These rivers also pose threats and problems of their own. Bangladesh’s population puts
major strain on its agricultural system and on the land currently available. Child labor needs
to be controlled- if not stopped, and new sources of income need to be found. Current
housing and living situations need to be addressed. The population needs basic education
and specific education on new farming techniques, healthy lifestyles, raising livestock, and
crop management. Crops need to be studied to come up with varieties that well help
rejuvenate Bangladesh’s soils. The ultimate goal of Bangladesh, and of those countries
offering aid, is to reach a point where food production at equals the population- if not
surpassing it. The Bangladeshi government needs to look into biotechnology, even if it
comes in the form of help from other countries. Problems in health and nutrition also need
to be addressed. Conferences, seminars, and workshops offered to the general public on
these topics may be able to help boost production and reduce poverty. Bangladesh is going
need a lot of help from other countries and the citizens also need to be willing to accept and
adopt new ideas to change their dark future into a bright one.
www.asadsaimon.com