Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category has been postponed by another three years. Instead of 24 November 2026, the country will now graduate in November 2029. This gives Bangladesh an additional three years to prepare.
The decision was approved at a plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, which began at 1:00 am today, Friday. The meeting was chaired by UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman. UN Web TV broadcast the meeting live.
At the beginning of the meeting, Uruguay’s representative, speaking on behalf of the G-77, tabled a draft proposal to defer the LDC graduation of Bangladesh and Nepal by three years. No country’s representative opposed the proposal.
Representatives of France, Canada and Ireland, the latter speaking on behalf of the European Union, expressed support for postponing the graduation of Bangladesh and Nepal. However, all of them called for reforms in Bangladesh in their statements.
Bangladesh was scheduled to graduate from the list of least developed countries on 24 November 2026. Following graduation, Bangladesh would become a fully-fledged developing country.
On 21 July, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recommended that the UN General Assembly take the final decision on Bangladesh’s request for an extension of its preparatory period for LDC greaduation.
Earlier, after reviewing Bangladesh’s application, the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) had recommended that the request by Bangladesh and Nepal to extend their preparatory periods be placed before the General Assembly for consideration. Based on that recommendation, ECOSOC decided to refer the matter to the General Assembly.
The final decision to extend the LDC preparatory period was taken today.
Bangladesh was scheduled to graduate from the list of least developed countries on 24 November 2026. Following graduation, Bangladesh would become a fully-fledged developing country.
The United Nations divides its member states into two categories: developed and developing countries. Countries on the LDC list are also developing countries. Those that lag behind other developing countries and require assistance from other nations are classified as least developed countries.
In 2021, the CDP made its final recommendation that Bangladesh graduate from the LDC category in 2024. However, the graduation was deferred by two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why the request for postponement
The policy of remaining firm on Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026 continued till the tenure of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. However, after the BNP government took office in February this year, Bangladesh formally applied for a three-year postponement of its graduation from the LDC list.
The government argued that an extension would provide the necessary policy space to stabilise the macroeconomy, consolidate ongoing reforms, and complete priority activities under the Smooth Transition Strategy (STS).
Bangladesh’s letter also stated that the five-year preparatory period for LDC graduation had been ‘severely disrupted’ by a series of domestic and international crises.
Global crises included the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a slow global economic recovery, the Russia-Ukraine war and the resulting volatility in energy and food markets, tighter global financial conditions, delays in the recovery of trade, instability in the Middle East and growing uncertainty in the global trading system.
Domestic challenges included irregularities in the financial sector, the political transition following the mass uprising of 2024, and the unresolved repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
Bangladesh’s position
Bangladesh was included in the list of least developed countries (LDCs) in 1975. As an LDC, it has since enjoyed various benefits, including duty-free access for its exports. The United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) makes recommendations on which countries should graduate from the LDC category.
LDCs are assessed every three years. A country’s eligibility for graduation is determined on the basis of three indicators: per capita income, human assets, and climate and economic vulnerability. A country must meet the thresholds for any two of the three indicators, or its per capita income must be twice the required threshold. These criteria, however, change over time.
Bangladesh met the thresholds for all three indicators in the 2018 and 2021 triennial reviews. These are gross national income (GNI), the Human Assets Index (HAI) and the Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI).
In 2021, the CDP made its final recommendation that Bangladesh graduate from the LDC category in 2024. However, the graduation was deferred by two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic; otherwise, Bangladesh would have graduated two years earlier. Now, a further three years have been added to the preparatory period for graduation.