98 percent of the people
of Bangladesh are
Bangalees. The major
religion is Muslim with 80
percent of total
population. The second
major religion is Hinduism
which constitutes 16
percent. Other religions
include Buddhism and
Christianity. Minorities
include Biharis and tribes.
Among the tribes Chakma
is the biggest.
Bangladesh is one of the
largest Muslim countries
in the world. Most
Bangladeshi Muslims are
Sunnis, but there is a
small Shia community.
Among religious festivals
of Muslims Eidul Fitr, Eidul
Azha, Eiday Miladunnabi,
Muharram etc. are
prominent . The
contention that Bengali
Muslims are all descended
from lower-caste Hindus
who were converted to
Islam is incorrect; a
substantial proportion are
descendants of the
Muslims who reached the
subcontinent from
elsewhere.
Hinduism is professed by
about 12 percent of the
population. Durga Puja,
Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja
etc. are Hindu festivals.
Hindus in Bangladesh are
almost evenly distributed
in all regions, with
concentrations in Khulna,
Jessore, Dinajpur,
Faridpur, and Barisal.
Biharis, who are not
ethnic Bangalees, are
Urdu-speaking Muslim
refugees from Bihar and
other parts of northern
India. They numbered
about 1 million in 1971 but
now had decreased to
around 600,000. They
once dominated the upper
levels of the society. They
sided with Pakistan during
the 1971 war. Hundreds of
thousands of Biharis were
repatriated to Pakistan
after the war.
Tribal race constitutes less
than 1 percent of the total
population. They live in
the Chittagong Hills and in
the regions of
Mymensingh, Sylhet, and
Rajshahi. The majority of
the tribal population live in
rural areas. They differ in
their social organization,
marriage customs, birth
and death rites, food, and
other social customs from
the people of the rest of
the country. They speak
Tibeto-Burman languages.
In the mid-1980s, the
percentage distribution of
tribal population by
religion was Hindu 24,
Buddhist 44, Christian 13,
and others 19.
Major tribes are the
Chakmas, Maghs (or
Marmas), Tipras,
Murangs, Kukis and
Santals. The tribes tend to
intermingle and could be
distinguished from one
another more by
differences in their dialect,
dress, and customs than
by tribal cohesion. Only
the Chakmas and Marmas
display formal tribal
organization. They are of
mixed origin but reflect
more Bengali influence
than any other tribe.
Unlike the other tribes, the
Chakmas and Marmas
generally live in the
highland valleys. Most
Chakmas are Buddhists,
but some practice
Hinduism or Animism.
The Santals live in the
northwestern part of
Bangladesh. They obey a
set of religious beliefs
closely similar to
Hinduism. The Khasais
live in Sylhet in the Khasia
Hills near the border with
Assam, and the Garo and
Hajang in the northeastern
part of the country.
Statistics
Population: 127,117,967
(July 1999 est.)
Population growth
rate: 1.59% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 25.2
births/1,000 population
(1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.5
deaths/1,000 population
(1999 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.79 migrant(s)/1,000
population (1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male
24,516,722; female
23,346,904)
15-64 years: 59% (male
38,441,064; female
36,586,743)
65 years and over: 3%
(male 2,303,613; female
1,922,921) (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/
female
under 15 years: 1.05 male
(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/
female
65 years and over: 1.2
male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male
(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
69.68 deaths/1,000 live
births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at
birth: total 55.86 years
male: 56.02 years
female: 55.69 years
(1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.57
children born/woman
(1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Bengali
98%, Biharis 250,000,
tribal less than 1 million
Religions: Muslim 83%,
Hindu 16%, Buddhist,
Christian, others 1%
Languages: Bangla
(official), English
Literacy: 38.1% male:
49.4% female: 26.1%
Bangladesh
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