Climate risk country profile: Bangladesh (2024)

This profile is part of a series of Climate Risk Country Profiles developed by Climate Change Group of the World Bank Group. This country profile aim to present a high-level assessment of the climate risks faced by Bangladesh, including rapid-onset events and slow-onset changes in climate conditions, many of which are already underway, as well as summarize relevant information on policy and planning efforts at the country level.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with an estimated 2022 population of 171.2 million growing at an annual rate of 1.1%. Only 40% of the population lives in urban areas as of 2022, centered around Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna. Bangladesh has some of the highest risk levels in the world to climate-related hazards such as cyclones and floods (flash, riverine, and coastal flooding). More than 90 million Bangladeshis (56% of the population) are estimated to live in “high climate exposure areas” affected by multiple hazards. Under future climate conditions, Bangladesh also would be exposed to much higher heat risks nationally by midcentury, even considering regional and seasonal variations