Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty. At the national level, the extreme poverty rate fell from 17.6 per cent in 2000 to 5.6 per cent in 2022. However, the pace of poverty reduction has slowed since 2016. Regrettably, the gains also appear to be fragile. Behind the national average are people whose circumstances, vulnerabilities, and opportunities differ sharply; development has not delivered gains for them in equal measure. The poor are also not a homogeneous group. They differ according to the depth and nature of their deprivation. Despite growing recognition of the importance of disaggregated data for delivering the SDGs, limited data continue to inhibit proper assessment of the causes and manifestations of extreme poverty in Bangladesh.

Authors: Debapriya Bhattacharya, Mustafizur Rahman, Towfiqul Islam Khan, Naima Jahan Trisha, Asir Newaz Khan and Saba Sabnam

Publication Period: November 2025