Fifty-one per cent of girls in Bangladesh are married before reaching the age of 18, and 71 out of every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 have already become mothers. These concerning figures on child marriage and adolescent motherhood appear in the latest annual report of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), released on Tuesday.
The report, part of the World Population Prospects 2025, focuses on global reproductive health challenges and provides demographic and reproductive health statistics for UN member countries. It highlights that millions of people around the world are still unable to exercise their reproductive rights and preferences.
According to the report, the key issue is not whether a country’s population is too high or too low, but whether individuals are able to make and fulfill their own reproductive choices. The report underscores that this remains a significant problem globally, including in Bangladesh.
Grim picture
The UNFPA report paints a concerning picture of maternal and reproductive healthcare in the country. It states that 10 per cent of couples in Bangladesh do not have access to birth control when needed—raising the risk of unintended pregnancies and endangering women’s health.
Seventy per cent of women give birth with the assistance of a skilled health worker, meaning 30 per cent of deliveries occur without such professional care—often attended by untrained individuals, increasing the risks of complications.
The maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh remains alarmingly high, at 115 deaths per 100,000 live births. In comparison, there are countries where maternal deaths are as low as one or two per 100,000 live births.
The report also includes statistics on gender-based violence. It finds that 23 per cent of women in Bangladesh have experienced physical abuse by their husbands in the past year.
Success story
Bangladesh continues to struggle with alarmingly high rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Outside of a few African nations, no other country records such high levels. These early marriages often lead to adolescent pregnancies, putting both mother and child at increased risk of death and other serious health complications. This cycle remains largely unbroken in Bangladesh.
However, the UNFPA report highlights a success story from the Dominican Republic, offering a hopeful example of change. In 2013, 90 out of every 1,000 teenage girls in the Caribbean nation became pregnant. By 2019, that number had dropped to 77—and current figures are reportedly even lower.
The report credits this decline to collaborative efforts involving individuals such as a local nurse and a female community leader, along with strong government action. The Dominican government invested in initiatives targeting harmful social norms that perpetuate child marriage. UNFPA supported these efforts, helping to expand access to birth control and raise awareness around reproductive rights.
As a result, more girls in the Dominican Republic are now pursuing higher education, and public attitudes have shifted. The country’s progress demonstrates that social norms can be challenged—and changed—with sustained effort and investment.
Age shouldn't be a burden
The UNFPA report also underscores the shifting global demographic landscape. Fifty years ago, the average life expectancy worldwide was 59 years. Today, it has risen to 73.
In Bangladesh, life expectancy surpasses the global average: 74 years for men and 77 for women. Currently, 7 per cent of the population is over 65—around 12.3 million people, a number that exceeds the total population of many countries.
This aging population poses both social and healthcare challenges. Many older adults remain financially dependent on others, and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory illness is high in this group.
The report notes that several countries—including the United States, Italy, Thailand, and Brazil—have introduced targeted products and services to support their elderly populations. Bangladesh may need to follow suit, as its demographic profile continues to shift toward an older population.
Lessons from history’s population trends
The UNFPA report notes that Bangladesh’s total fertility rate has now declined to 2.1—meaning, on average, a woman gives birth to two children in her lifetime. This marks a dramatic shift from 50 years ago, when Bangladeshi women had an average of five children. At the time, the country was often labelled as suffering from a “population explosion.”
But times have changed. UNFPA points out that the world is now moving from population explosion to the brink of population collapse. In many countries, fertility rates have dropped to or below the replacement level of 2.1, the threshold at which a population remains stable. Meanwhile, aging populations are on the rise—Italy, for instance, now has one in every four citizens over the age of 65.
The report places special emphasis on the plight of the global youth. Today’s young generation, it says, often voices deep anxiety about the future. Many feel they are worse off than their parents, betrayed by broken promises and shrinking opportunities. Their frustrations are not just economic—they reflect a broader sense of disillusionment. The UNFPA urges policymakers to take these sentiments seriously and address them with targeted policy interventions.
In Bangladesh, these concerns are echoed by local experts. Professor Mohammad Moinul Islam, a demographer and faculty member in the Department of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, told Prothom Alo, “The decline in fertility rate is a long-term national achievement. But at the same time, every year, 2 to 2.2 million people enter working age in Bangladesh. We’re able to provide jobs to only a small fraction of them. The unemployment rate here is higher than in our neighbouring countries. For real progress, we must invest in quality education, vocational skills, and good health for our youth.”
In short, while Bangladesh has successfully transitioned from population crisis to demographic balance, the challenge now lies in ensuring its greatest asset, that is, its youth, are empowered and equipped to drive the country’s future growth.