The 2022 census shows an increase in the Hindu population in Dhaka.
Dr. Baljit Singh Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Bangladesh was once part of India as was Pakistan. But in 1971, Bangladesh was created from Pakistan. As an independent country, Bangladesh is experiencing massive urbanization and development, rising literacy rates, and migration to other countries for education and employment. The female literacy rate has increased from 49.44% in 2011 to 72.62% in 2022, which is a significant improvement. All these development factors have also contributed to the decline in the population growth rate of Bangladesh from 2.84% in 1981, 2.01% in 1991, 2.58% in 2001, 1.46% in 2011 and 1.22% in 2022. The current population of Bangladesh is 165,158,666 (2022 Census).
In terms of religion, according to the 2022 Bangladesh census, among the total population of Bangladesh, Muslims account for 91.04%, Hinduism accounts for 7.95%, Buddhism accounts for 0.61%, Christianity accounts for 0.30%, and other religions account for 0.12%.
Figure 1 shows the range of changes in the Hindu faith population in Bangladesh between 2011 and 2022.
The Hindu faith population in Bangladesh has declined from 8.54 percent in 2011 to 7.97 percent in 2022. It has declined in all regions of Bangladesh except in Dhaka. This may be due to the ongoing urbanization and development of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which also leads to smaller family sizes and migration to other countries after education and employment.
People migrate from one region to another as employment and income increase, including stable living conditions away from adverse environmental conditions such as floods, droughts, landslides, etc. that made people move to Dhaka. According to the Bangladesh Census 2022, Dhaka has the largest urban population among all geographical regions in Bangladesh.
Social harmony is also a natural way of working as the people of Bangladesh unite to improve the lives of their citizens as education and development activities have significantly advanced. Obedience to the law also comes from the advancement of education in all areas of society that define a country.
