Bangladesh has a total area of 144,000 square km, with 7% being water and the remaining land consisting of 75% for cultivation, 5% for pasture, and 9% for forests. The economy has grown between 5-6% annually since 1996, with nearly half the population employed in agriculture even as the service sector generates over half of GDP. While the economy was resilient during the 2008 recession, challenges include political instability, inadequate infrastructure and electricity, corruption, and slow economic reforms.