Life expectancy falls to 72.3 yrs

The average life expectancy of Bangladesh’s people dropped to 72.3 years in 2021, from 72.8 years in 2020, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey data.

The life expectancy for males dropped to 70.6 years in 2021, from 71.2 years in 2020. For females, it declined to 74.1 years in 2021, from that of 74.5 years in 2020.

Meanwhile, the country’s population density increased year-on-year, as 1,153 people lived in a square-kilometre area in 2021, the BBS data showed.

The population density was 1,140 per square km in 2020, 1,125 in 2019, 1,116 in 2018, and 1,103 in 2017.

The BBS unveiled its Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics (SVS) report 2021 at its office in the capital on Monday, where Planning Minister M A Mannan was present as the chief guest.

State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam, and Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin, among others, spoke at the survey findings dissemination function, presided over by BBS Director General Matiur Rahman.

The SVS 2021 data also showed that some social indicators became vulnerable due to impact of the Covid pandemic, as the mortality rate of child and women increased to some extent.

The infant mortality per 1,000 live births was recorded at 22 in 2021, from that of 21 in 2020; the neo-natal mortality rate was counted at 16 in 2021, from that of 2020; and the under-5 mortality rate was stable at 28.

The maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births also rose to 168 in 2021, from 163 in 2020.

On the other hand, the crude death rate (the number of deaths in a year per 1,000 population) rose to 5.7 in 2021, from 5.1 in 2020, said SVRS Project Director Alamgir Hossain while sharing the BBS report.

Covid-19 pandemic could be the reason behind the change in mortality and life expectancy rates, he added.

Almost three times more (than usual) people died as a result of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) official data.

There were 14.9 million excess deaths associated with Covid-19 by the end of 2021, the UN body noted.

The official count of deaths - directly attributable to Covid-19 and reported to the WHO from January 2020 to December 2021 - was slightly more than 5.4 million.

State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said, “Although it is a matter of further research, we can assume that life expectancy and other social indicators have become a bit volatile due to the Covid-19 impact.”

“Thousands of people were affected by the Covid pandemic that time, and we lost many of them,” he added.

Meanwhile, in terms of population characteristics, the country’s demographic dividend started declining, as the population of 15-49 years of age decreased to 54.5 per cent in 2021, from that of 54.9 per cent, the BBS data showed.

Bangladesh’s real natural population increase rate was 1.30 per cent, almost stable over the last couple of years.

The SVS 2021 showed a massive change in migration from urban areas to rural areas, as some 8.0 per cent people migrated from cities and towns to villages in 2021. The rate in 2020 was 4.7 per cent.

Besides, urban to urban migration also rose to 95.1 per cent in 2021, from that of 77.8 per cent in 2020.

The literacy rate (seven years and above) in Bangladesh was recorded at 76.4 per cent in 2021, from that of 75.2 per cent. The country’s Muslim population was recorded at 89 per cent of the total, 0.6 percentage points higher than 2020, the BBS data showed.

The SVS was conducted with data from more than 0.3 million households in 2001 sample survey areas across the country. A local enumerator in each area collected data once every month. The data collection process ended in December 2021.

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