Bangladesh country profile

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely-populated countries, with its people living in a delta of rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal.

Poverty is widespread, but Bangladesh has in recent years reduced population growth and improved health and education.

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being only in 1971, when the two parts of Pakistan split after a bitter war which drew in neighbouring India.

Bangladesh spent 15 years under military rule and, although democracy was restored in 1990, the political scene remains volatile. Islamist extremism has also been rising in the traditionally tolerant country.

Bangladesh is low-lying and vulnerable to flooding and cyclones. It stands to be badly affected by any rise in sea levels.

President: Mohammed Shahabuddin

Mohammed Shahabuddin was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election. He was nominated by the ruling Awami League. Before being elected to the largely ceremonial post, he had served as a judge and as a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina has secured her fourth straight term as prime minister in a controversial election in January 2024 - she has been prime minister since 1996.

Her Awami League party and its allies won 223 of 300 parliamentary seats contested, amid a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and followed mass arrests of BNP leaders and supporters.

Official figures suggested a low voter turnout of about 40%, though critics said even those numbers might have been inflated. In comparison, the last election in 2018 had a voter turnout of more than 80%.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimated that nearly 10,000 activists were arrested after an opposition rally