A report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has revealed that 19.2% of the population in Bangladesh currently lives below the poverty line.
While the poverty rate stands at 16.5% in urban areas, it exceeds 20% in rural regions, highlighting a stark disparity between the two.
The findings were disclosed on Thursday (30 January) at a conference held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
The report, compiled by the Poverty and Livelihood Statistics Cell of BBS, was presented in the presence of Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Mahbub Hossain, who attended as the chief guest.
The research was conducted jointly by the World Bank, the World Food Programme, and BBS.
According to the report, Barishal Division has the highest poverty rate at 26.6%, while Chattogram records the lowest at 15.2%.
The poverty rate in Dhaka has increased by 1.8 percentage points to reach 19.6%.
However, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions have seen a decline in poverty levels during this period.
The most extreme case was reported in Dasar Upazila of Madaripur district, where 63.2% of residents live in poverty.
The findings underscore the persistent economic disparities across regions, prompting calls for targeted policy interventions to address poverty alleviation.
