The poverty rate in Bangladesh has risen slightly, increasing from 18.7 percent to 19.2 percent, according to the ‘Poverty Map of Bangladesh 2022.’
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) unveiled the findings of the latest poverty map at an event at an event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) on Thursday.
The BBS conducted the survey with financial assistance from the World Bank, and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The survey indicates that while the overall poverty rate has increased, rural poverty has seen a slight decline.
According to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES), the rural poverty rate, has decreased to 20.3 percent which was at 20.5 percent earlier.
In contrast, urban poverty has risen by 1.8 percentage points, increasing from 14.7 percent to 16.5 percent.
The poverty map also highlights regional disparities in poverty rates.
Barishal Division recorded the highest poverty rate at 26.6 percent, while Chattogram Division had the lowest rate at 15.2 percent.
Other divisions reported the following poverty rates: Rangpur at 25 percent, Rajshahi at 16.3 percent, Sylhet at 18.5 percent, Mymensingh at 22.6 percent, Khulna at 17.1 percent, and Dhaka at 19.6 percent.
According to BBS data, poverty has increased in Sylhet, Rangpur, Khulna, and Dhaka divisions.
Although Barishal still has the highest poverty rate, it has slightly decreased from 26.9 percent to 26.6 percent, a drop of 0.3 percentage points.
Previously, the HIES recorded Dhaka’s poverty rate at 17.9 percent, which has now risen to 19.6 percent in the ‘Poverty Map of Bangladesh 2022’ survey.
Among areas in Dhaka, Paltan has the lowest poverty rate at just 1 percent, according to the survey.
The poverty map also reveals that the poorest sub-district in the country is Dasar in Madaripur, with a poverty rate of 63.2 percent. In the 2010 survey, the poverty rate in this sub-district was 46.6 percent.
