Dhaka residents’ per capita income reaches USD 5,163

The average per capita income of people in Dhaka district is currently USD 5,163, which is nearly twice the national per capita income.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the per capita income of people in Bangladesh was USD 2,820 at the end of the last fiscal year (2024–25).

The figures were revealed at a discussion on the formulation of the Economic Position Index (EPI) organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) at its office in the capital’s Motijheel today, Saturday.

The event, chaired by Taskeen Ahmed, president of the Dhaka Chamber, was attended by representatives from international organisations, economists, researchers, university teachers, and various government and private institutions.

The Dhaka Chamber stated that this estimate of per capita income for Dhaka district was calculated based on the district-level GDP data compiled by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in 2011, taking into account factors such as investment, consumption, expenditure, imports, exports, area, and population growth.

However, several participants at the event questioned the limitations of these per capita income and GDP figures for Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) last released national per capita income data in May. It shows that per capita income for Bangladeshis has reached USD 2,820 in the 2024–25 fiscal year, marking a record high. This represents an increase of USD 82 over the previous fiscal year, when per capita income was USD 2,738. However, the BBS does not calculate per capita income at the division or district level.

Per capita income is not an individual’s personal income. It is calculated by taking a country’s total national income—which includes domestic earnings as well as income from expatriates—and dividing it by the total population.

According to BBS, per capita income was USD 2,793 in the 2021–22 fiscal year. It then declined to USD 2,749 in 2022–23 and further to USD 2,738 in the last fiscal year. The difference in per capita income in BBS records is mainly due to the rise in the dollar exchange rate.

AKM Asaduzzaman Patwari, acting secretary-general of Dhaka Chamber, presented the keynote paper, saying a large part of the country’s economic activity takes place in Dhaka district. About 40 per cent of the country’s total employment comes from this district.

Dhaka is considered one of the main hubs of the financial sector, with more than 700 listed companies having their head offices there.

Patwari said 32 per cent of the country’s urban population resides in Dhaka district, while 11.2 per cent of the total population lives there. Dhaka is a highly industrialised district, accounting for over 40 per cent of the country’s total exports. Overall, the district contributes 46 per cent to the nation’s total domestic income (GDP).

To present an accurate picture of the country’s economic activity, the Dhaka Chamber has taken the initiative to formulate the Economic Position Index (EPI). The EPI will be published every three months, primarily tracking the economic performance of the industrial and service sectors and changes in economic activity. Based on this, policymakers at both government and private levels will be provided with necessary recommendations.

Detailed information on the process and methodology for determining the EPI was presented at a focus group discussion held at the Dhaka Chamber’s office.

At the beginning of the discussion, Dhaka Chamber president Taskin Ahmed said in his welcome address that while various indicators such as the BCI, Ease of Doing Business Index, and GDP currently exist to measure the country’s business environment, these indicators often fail to accurately reflect the real changes in economic activity and their underlying causes.

He added that although the government frequently formulates geo-economic policies, their effective implementation is not always possible due to the lack of up-to-date data.

Taskin Ahmed said that the initiative to formulate the EPI has been taken in this context. He added that initially the index will be published focusing on Dhaka district, with plans to expand its coverage nationwide in the future.

He also stated that in the conventional method of evaluating economic activity, we generally rely on annual or quarterly national accounts. However, in a rapidly changing economy, analysing real-time or up-to-date data is essential for assessing investment, employment, and business confidence.

The EPI, formulated by DCCI, will assess the activities of the country’s production and service sectors on a quarterly basis. Through this, trends in production, sales, exports, purchase orders, employment, and investment can be identified. Initially, six sub-sectors have been included in the index: ready-made garments, textiles, wholesale and retail trade, housing, transport and storage, and the banking sector.

Based on data from last year’s two quarters, the Dhaka Chamber has initially released information on the Economic Position Index (EPI). For this, they have set a total of six scores ranging from zero to one. These are very low, low, moderate, high, and very high economic momentum. According to the survey, Dhaka district’s economy scored 0.80 in the October–December 2024 quarter, indicating it progressed at a high or good pace. The survey cites that in the July–September quarter of the same year, the economy had been largely stagnant due to political changes. However, the economy improved in the following quarter thanks to several swift decisions by the caretaker government.

Among the invited guests at the event, former Dhaka Chamber president Abul Qasem Khan said that local indicators show the country’s economy is performing well. However, when compared with global indicators or other countries, we rank near the bottom in several measures. Therefore, there is no reason for complacency based on these indicators; rather, presenting them in comparison with global standards would be more effective.

Another former Dhaka Chamber president, Ashraf Ahmed, suggested that the EPI should be published monthly and its scope expanded.

Other speakers at the event included Md. Nurul Alam, director-general of the National Productivity Organization under the Ministry of Industries; Nesar Ahmed, international trade specialist of the Support to Sustainable Graduation Project (SSGP) under the Ministry of Commerce; Syed Muntasir Mamun, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; AKM Atikul Haque, joint secretary of the Ministry of Finance; Nawshad Mostafa, director of SME & Special Programs Development (SMESPd) at Bangladesh Bank; Md. Salim Al Mamun, director at Bangladesh Bank; Md. Ainul Islam, professor of the Department of Economics at Jagannath University; Md. Din Islam, assistant professor of the Department of Economics at Dhaka University; Mohammad Jasim Uddin, research director at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS); and Mia Rahmat Ali, senior private sector specialist at the International Finance Corporation, among others.