Data on the situation of children in Bangladesh

The data for some indicators presented here may vary between sources due to differences in definitions, scope and methodology. Sources used here are those referred to by UNICEF for its work in Bangladesh.

Population: 169.8 million*

Children (aged 0-17 years): 58.7 million, 34 per cent*

Children under five years of age (aged 0-59 months): 16.2 million*

School-aged children (aged 6-17 years): 39.2 million**

*Source: Population and Housing Census 2022.
 

BSurvive and thrive*

Child mortality
- Neonatal mortality rate: 22 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Under-five mortality rate: 33 deaths per 1,000 live births

Maternal and newborn health
- Antenatal care by skilled health personnel: 89.7 per cent
- Institutional delivery: 71.0 per cent
- Skilled attendant at delivery: 77.7 per cent
- Caesarean section: 51.8 per cent
- Post-natal health check for newborns within two days of birth: 72.8 per cent
- Post-natal health check for mothers within two days of delivery: 70.5 per cent

Adolescent and reproductive health
- Adolescent birth rate among girls aged 15–19 years: 92 births per 1,000 girls
- Women aged 20–24 who gave birth before age 18: 22.3 per cent
- Need for family planning satisfied with modern contraception: 73.5 per cent

Nutrition
- Stunting among children under five: 24.0 per cent
- Wasting among children under five: 12.9 per cent
- Underweight among children under five: 23.0 per cent
- Exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months: 56.6 per cent
- Minimum acceptable diet among children aged 6–23 months: 29.5 per cent
- Child food poverty among children aged 6–23 months: 64.8 per cent

Early childhood development
- Children aged 2–4 years developmentally on track: 70.9 per cent
- Children aged 24–59 months receiving early stimulation and responsive care from any adult household member: 35.1 per cent
- Children under five with three or more children’s books: 7.6 per cent

Lead exposure and anaemia
- Children aged 12–59 months with elevated blood lead levels: 38.4 per cent
- Mean blood lead level among children aged 12–59 months: 5.21 µg/dl
- Children aged 12–59 months with anaemia: 43.9 per cent
- Pregnant women with elevated blood lead levels: 7.5 per cent
- Pregnant women with anaemia: 53.1 per cent

*Source: Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2025

Learn and acquire skills*

Early learning and school readiness
- Children aged 36–59 months attending early childhood education: 16.6 per cent
- Participation in organised learning one year before the official primary entry age: 80.1 per cent
- Children entering Grade 1 who attended early childhood education in the previous year: 80.7 per cent

School attendance and completion
Adjusted net attendance rate:
- Primary: 85.0 per cent
- Lower secondary: 60.1 per cent
- Upper secondary: 50.8 per cent

Out-of-school rate:
- Primary school age: 6.5 per cent
- Lower secondary school age: 13.1 per cent
- Upper secondary school age: 33.9 per cent

Completion rate:
- Primary: 83.7 per cent
- Lower secondary: 69.3 per cent
- Upper secondary: 43.9 per cent

Foundational learning
- Children aged 7–14 years with foundational reading skills: 50.2 per cent
- Children aged 7–14 years with foundational numeracy skills: 39.2 per cent

Digital access and skills
- Households with internet access from home: 72.1 per cent
- Women aged 15–49 who used the internet in the last three months: 48.3 per cent
- Women aged 15–24 with at least one ICT skill: 37.6 per cent

*Source: Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2025

Protected from violence and exploitation*

Birth registration
- Children under five whose births are registered with a civil authority: 59.2 per cent

Violence against children
- Children aged 1–14 years who experienced violent discipline in the past month: 85.7 per cent

Child labour
- Children aged 5–17 years involved in child labour: 9.2 per cent

Child marriage
- Women aged 20–24 years first married before age 18: 47.2 per cent
- Women aged 20–24 years first married before age 15: 13.4 per cent
- Girls aged 15–19 years who are currently married: 38.9 per cent

Attitudes towards domestic violence
- Women aged 15–49 years who believe a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife in at least one specified circumstance: 26.6 per cent

*Source: Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2025

Live in a safe and clean environment*

Water
- Household members using improved drinking water sources: 99.0 per cent
- Household members using at least basic drinking water services: 98.6 per cent
- Household members using safely managed drinking water services: 42.6 per cent
- Household members whose source water was contaminated with E.coli: 47.1 per cent
- Household members whose drinking water at point of use was contaminated with E.coli: 85.0 per cent
- Household members using safely managed drinking water services adjusted for arsenic contamination and E.coli: 37.1 per cent using the WHO arsenic standard, and 39.4 per cent using the Government of Bangladesh standard.

Sanitation and hygiene
- Household members using improved sanitation facilities: 91.7 per cent
- Household members using basic sanitation services: 72.9 per cent
- Household members with safely managed on-site sanitation: 23.7 per cent
- Household members with a handwashing facility at home with water and soap: 68.6 per cent

Climate-related disruption to WASH
- Household members whose main drinking water was affected by one or more natural hazards in the last 12 months: 35.8 per cent
- Household members whose sanitation facility was affected by one or more natural hazards in the last 12 months: 5.2 per cent

Menstrual health and hygiene
- Women aged 15–49 years with sufficient menstrual materials during their last period: 85.1 per cent
- Women aged 15–49 years able to change menstrual materials in privacy at home: 83.2 per cent
Women aged 15–49 years who knew about menstruation before their first period: 30.8 per cent

*Source: Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2025

Equitable chance in life*

Children with disabilities
- Children aged 2–17 years reported with functional difficulty in at least one domain: 5.2 per cent

Social protection
- Household members living in households that received any social transfers or benefits in the last three months: 37.7 per cent
- Children under 18 living in households that received any social transfers in the last three months: 39.3 per cent
- Children and young people aged 5–24 years attending school who received school-related social transfers: 18.9 per cent

Health insurance
- Children under five covered by health insurance: 0.4 per cent
- Children aged 5–17 years covered by health insurance: 0.4 per cent
- Women aged 15–49 years covered by health insurance: 0.8 per cent

*Source: Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2025

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For globally comparable UNICEF data, including country profiles, datasets and more, see UNICEF DATA – Child Statistics