Nearly 86% entrepreneurs in Bangladesh have identified financing constraints as the main obstacle to business, even though the number of economic units surged by nearly 50% over the past decade, according to the Economic Census 2024 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The final census report unveiled on Tuesday shows that total economic units rose to 11.7 million in 2024 from 7.8 million in 2013, marking a growth of 49.7%. The expansion reflects a broad increase in economic activities across the country.
However, alongside the growth, businesses continue to face multiple structural challenges. In addition to lack of capital, entrepreneurs cited difficulties in accessing credit, shortage of skilled labour, inadequate raw materials, rising production costs, marketing barriers, poor infrastructure, and electricity and energy shortages.
The increase in economic units has been recorded in both rural and urban areas. Rural units climbed to about 7.38 million from 5.5 million 10 years ago, while urban units nearly doubled to 4.31 million from 2.2 million.
Despite the expansion, the economy remains dominated by small-scale enterprises. Micro enterprises account for 56.67% of all units, while cottage industries make up 38.74%. Small industries represent 4.20%, medium industries 0.31%, and large industries just 0.08%.
The service sector continues to dominate, accounting for 90.02% of all economic units, compared to less than 10% in the industrial sector.
In terms of employment, total jobs increased by 25.03% to over 30.6 million in 2024. Of the workforce, about 83% are men and around 17% are women, with a marginal share of third-gender participation also recorded.
Most employment—77.53%—is concentrated in permanent establishments, while 19.93% is in household-based economic activities.
Sector-wise, wholesale and retail trade, including motor vehicle repair, accounts for the largest share of employment at 41.82%, followed by transport and storage (22.22%), manufacturing (9.57%), and accommodation and food services (8.11%).
Regionally, Dhaka division holds the highest share of economic units at 27.08%, followed by Chattogram (17.51%) and Rajshahi (14.36%). Sylhet has the lowest share at 4.67%.
Ownership data shows that 87.36% of permanent establishments are individually or family-owned, while private limited companies account for 1.82% and partnerships 1.44%. Government and autonomous institutions make up 2.22%, and non-profit organisations 6.39%.
By structure, 53.57% of economic units are permanent, 4.91% temporary, and 41.52% are household-based entities engaged in income-generating activities.
Officials said the findings highlight both the resilience of small entrepreneurs and the urgent need to address financing and structural constraints to sustain growth and enable businesses to scale up.