Bangladesh population pyramid 2026
177,818,044 people in 2026 (projected). Bangladesh’s pyramid shows a marked shortage of men aged 20–39, as large numbers of young men work abroad, above a base that has largely stopped widening.
- 2026 population
- 177.8Mrank 8 of 237
- Median age
- 26.3 yearsoldest rank 162
- Fertility rate
- 2.09births per woman · close to replacement
- Structure
- Transitional6.8% age 65+
Bangladesh population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Bangladesh age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 27.3% of the population, while 6.8% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 65.8% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Bangladesh’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 51.9: about 52 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (41.5 children and 10.4 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Bangladesh’s population pyramid
One of the fastest fertility declines
Bangladesh entered the 1970s with fertility near seven children per woman and, after independence in 1971, was widely expected to remain a high-fertility country. Instead fertility fell to about 4.5 by 1990, 3.3 by 2000 and roughly 2.1 today, a decline achieved at low income levels. The national family planning program, which relied heavily on female field workers visiting women at home, is widely credited as a major factor, alongside expanding girls’ education and rising female employment.
That decline is now visible at the bottom of the pyramid. In 2026 the bands from 0–4 to 15–19 are almost equal, each holding about 9% of the population: births have leveled off because more women are of childbearing age while each has fewer children. The Pakistan vs Bangladesh comparison shows how differently two countries with similar starting points have evolved, and India vs Bangladesh shows a broadly similar transition on a larger scale.
Men working abroad
The most distinctive feature of the 2026 pyramid is a sex imbalance among young adults. At ages 25–29 there are only about 81 men for every 100 women, and at 30–34 about 84; normally, numbers of men and women at these ages are close to equal. Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest sources of international labor migrants, most of them men working on fixed-term contracts in the Gulf states and Southeast Asia. Because the UN counts people where they live, these workers are missing from Bangladesh’s pyramid. This pattern, explained in sex ratio and age structure, also lowers the country’s overall sex ratio to about 97 men per 100 women.
Under the UN medium scenario Bangladesh grows to about 215 million by 2050, with a median age near 35.5 and a female surplus that has moved up to ages 45–59.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40–44 | 1982–1986 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +13% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2077. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2065.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Bangladesh is projected to record 3,407,860 births (about one birth every 9.3 seconds) and 913,453 deaths, a natural increase of 2,494,407. Net migration adds −371,398 people, ranking #184 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 84,090,124 births, 22,889,529 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −22,060,201. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −7,952,631 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 77.2 years37.2 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 73.8 years37.6 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 17.4 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 15.3per 1,000 births · 201 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 19.1per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 26.2 yearssex ratio at birth 104.9
Women in Bangladesh are projected to live 3.4 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 201 to 15.3 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #76 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 26.2 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Bangladesh
The median age of 26.3 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.09 births per woman is close to the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 177,818,044 | #8 | Largest first |
| Median age | 26.3 years | #162 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.09 | #102 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.2% | #84 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 75.5 years | #124 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 6.8% | #149 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Bangladesh
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | 16,884,894 | 9.5% | 8.6M / 8.3M |
| 2 | 15–19 | 16,763,079 | 9.4% | 8.7M / 8.1M |
| 3 | 20–24 | 16,505,867 | 9.3% | 7.9M / 8.6M |
| 4 | 5–9 | 15,931,884 | 9.0% | 8.2M / 7.8M |
| 5 | 10–14 | 15,776,883 | 8.9% | 8.2M / 7.6M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Bangladesh has 87,397,048 males and 90,420,997 females. That is 96.7 males per 100 females, ranking #157 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 49.1% of the population and females for 50.9%. There are 3,023,949 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 96.2 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 104.9 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Bangladesh has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 41,206,856 in 1950 to 177,818,044 in 2026, a change of 332%. Over the same span, median age moved from 18.3 to 26.3 years.
The under-15 share changed from 41.2% to 27.3%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.9% to 6.8%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Bangladesh population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Bangladesh’s population is projected to grow by about 21%, reaching 214,709,097 in 2050. The median age changes from 26.3 to 35.5 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 6.8 percentage points to 13.6%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 19.4%. The Bangladesh population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 226,129,889 in 2071. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41,206,856 | 18.3 | 6.37 | 37.4 | 1,910,563 | 1,137,412 | +8,310 | +1.9% |
| 1960 | 51,828,660 | 17.9 | 6.74 | 44.0 | 2,539,537 | 1,120,765 | +13,580 | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 69,058,894 | 16.8 | 6.84 | 42.7 | 3,271,921 | 1,529,639 | −73,719 | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 88,016,432 | 16.5 | 6.33 | 52.3 | 3,975,289 | 1,359,754 | −515,918 | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 111,633,717 | 17.4 | 4.51 | 55.8 | 3,922,874 | 1,335,340 | −404,105 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 134,544,304 | 19.7 | 3.28 | 62.0 | 3,980,972 | 1,113,444 | −512,422 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 152,201,982 | 21.9 | 2.38 | 68.0 | 3,329,284 | 920,703 | −1,113,727 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 166,298,024 | 24.6 | 2.18 | 71.4 | 3,374,090 | 1,018,769 | −1,002,522 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 171,466,990 | 25.3 | 2.16 | 74.7 | 3,489,953 | 859,075 | −549,918 | +1.2% |
| 2024* | 173,562,364 | 25.7 | 2.14 | 74.9 | 3,469,124 | 885,972 | −473,362 | +1.2% |
| 2026* | 177,818,044 | 26.3 | 2.09 | 75.5 | 3,407,860 | 913,453 | −371,398 | +1.2% |
| 2030* | 186,072,407 | 27.7 | 2.01 | 76.5 | 3,252,257 | 973,591 | −294,833 | +1.1% |
| 2040* | 202,589,429 | 31.7 | 1.87 | 78.8 | 2,843,782 | 1,150,318 | −331,839 | +0.7% |
| 2050* | 214,709,097 | 35.5 | 1.81 | 80.9 | 2,730,317 | 1,364,398 | −308,070 | +0.5% |
| 2060* | 223,149,358 | 38.8 | 1.78 | 82.8 | 2,536,641 | 1,637,574 | −308,440 | +0.3% |
| 2070* | 226,125,804 | 42.4 | 1.76 | 84.4 | 2,283,892 | 1,970,543 | −286,600 | +0.0% |
| 2080* | 224,081,200 | 45.4 | 1.74 | 85.9 | 2,138,270 | 2,287,099 | −275,939 | -0.2% |
| 2090* | 218,048,097 | 47.3 | 1.73 | 87.2 | 1,981,157 | 2,514,362 | −264,120 | -0.4% |
| 2100* | 208,596,516 | 48.7 | 1.72 | 88.3 | 1,798,648 | 2,609,196 | −236,966 | -0.5% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 8,632,181 | 8,252,713 | 16,884,894 | 9.5% |
| 5–9 | 8,173,362 | 7,758,522 | 15,931,884 | 9.0% |
| 10–14 | 8,196,115 | 7,580,768 | 15,776,883 | 8.9% |
| 15–19 | 8,662,034 | 8,101,045 | 16,763,079 | 9.4% |
| 20–24 | 7,916,850 | 8,589,017 | 16,505,867 | 9.3% |
| 25–29 | 6,792,816 | 8,369,155 | 15,161,971 | 8.5% |
| 30–34 | 6,407,459 | 7,660,073 | 14,067,532 | 7.9% |
| 35–39 | 5,745,551 | 6,529,971 | 12,275,522 | 6.9% |
| 40–44 | 5,919,099 | 6,449,155 | 12,368,254 | 7.0% |
| 45–49 | 4,870,271 | 4,745,411 | 9,615,682 | 5.4% |
| 50–54 | 3,954,769 | 4,078,090 | 8,032,859 | 4.5% |
| 55–59 | 3,349,177 | 3,403,079 | 6,752,256 | 3.8% |
| 60–64 | 2,814,773 | 2,703,515 | 5,518,288 | 3.1% |
| 65–69 | 2,298,299 | 2,119,834 | 4,418,133 | 2.5% |
| 70–74 | 1,703,518 | 1,698,778 | 3,402,296 | 1.9% |
| 75–79 | 1,032,908 | 1,169,859 | 2,202,767 | 1.2% |
| 80–84 | 603,047 | 723,779 | 1,326,826 | 0.7% |
| 85–89 | 247,677 | 345,373 | 593,050 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 67,629 | 117,981 | 185,610 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 9,172 | 23,012 | 32,184 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 340 | 1,865 | 2,205 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Bangladesh’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Nepal98% overlap · median age 25.7
- Bolivia98% overlap · median age 25.5
- Nicaragua98% overlap · median age 26.3
- Djibouti97% overlap · median age 25.2
- Paraguay97% overlap · median age 27.3
- Laos96% overlap · median age 25.3
Compare Bangladesh with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Bangladesh.
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Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Bangladesh Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bangladesh/
MLA
“Bangladesh Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bangladesh/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Bangladesh Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bangladesh/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Bangladesh in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Bangladesh's population in 2026 is projected at 177,818,044.
What is the median age in Bangladesh?
The projected median age in Bangladesh in 2026 is 26.3 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Bangladesh?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.09 births per woman, close to the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Bangladesh's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 21%, from 177.8M to 214.7M.
What share of Bangladesh is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 6.8% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 13.6%.
How many babies are born in Bangladesh each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 3,407,860 births and 913,453 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 9.3 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 2,494,407.
What is life expectancy in Bangladesh for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 77.2 years for women and 73.8 years for men, a gap of 3.4 years in favour of women.
Does Bangladesh have more immigrants or emigrants?
Bangladesh is projected to lose about 371,398 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −22,060,201.
What is the sex ratio in Bangladesh?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 96.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.