Country Profile of Bangladesh

7/29/2019 Country Profile of Bangladesh

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Country Profile

Bangladesh

December 2011


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works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security. We promote sustainable security through

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developing innovative technologies and tools for policy makers. A leader in the conflict assessment and early

warning field, the Fund for Peace focuses on the problems of weak and failing states. Our objective is to create

practical tools and approaches for conflict mitigation that are useful to decision-makers.

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The Fund for Peace Conflict Early Warning and Assessment

Country Profiles Series Editor

J. J. Messner

Country Profile Written by

Kristen Blandford and Raphal Jaeger

The Fund for Peace Publication FFP : CCPPR11BD (Version 12R)

Circulation: PUBLIC

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Numbers

Pressures Combined

Failed StatesIndex Score

Failed States IndexRank

AverageIndicator Score

Year-on-YearCore 5 + 2

Average ScoreCore 5 + 2

RankCapacity Minus

Pressures

94.4 25th 7.9 -1.7 3.5 139th -4.4Maximum 120 of 177 countries Maximum 10 Improvement Maximum 10 of 177 countries

Capacity

Pressures Assessment:

AlertCapacity Assessment:

WeakHigh Pressure

Low Capacity

Political instability, natural disasters, lack of

necessary resources, internationaldependence, and poor economic policies are

key factors preventing Bangladesh from

realizing its economic potential. Corruption

and impunity among the police and civil

services inspire fear and instability

throughout the country. Although such

pressures are still apparent and present, the

country is attempting to reduce their effectswith a focus on more educational services

and economic reforms. The consolidation of

the democratically elected government for

another year is a positive development for

the cou ntr y s s ta b i l i ty . Pol i t i ca l

factionalization seems to be a pressure that

will not dissipate quickly, but the

governments recent efforts and theinternational communitys support will

hopefully keep the country on its gradual

incline towards social, economic, and political

improvement.

Population GDP Per Capita (PPP) Life Expectancy Median Age

158,500,000 US$ 1,585 23.5 years 64.1 yearsChina 1,339,000,000 Qatar US$ 91,379 Japan 82.6 years Japan 44.6 years

Seychelles 86,500 D.R. Congo US$ 319 Swaziland 39.6 years Uganda 15.0 years

Outlook

Comparative Statistics


Profile

Bangladesh


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DemographicPressures

Refugeesand IDPs

GroupGrievance

HumanFlight

UnevenDevelopment

Poverty andDecline

8.3 6.5 9.2 8.1 8.4 7.736th 52nd 9th 10th 30th 30th

Poor Weak Poor Poor Poor Weak

Steady Steady Worsened Improved Improved Steady

Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend

5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend

Improved Worsened Steady Improved Improved Worsened

Social & Economic Indicators

Recent Improvements and Declines Bangladeshs Demographic Pressures score

improved slightly as the government

stepped up its food security program.

The latest flooding has forced more than

10,000 people to flee their homes in 2011.

In addition, 200,000 refugees from

Myanmar live in the country, including

30,000 in two official camps.

The Group Grievance score increased 0.3

points due to attacks against ethnic

minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. A

recent bill enabled the Hindu minority to

reclaim its property taken under a

controversial law enacted by the

government in the 1960s.

Bangladesh has an estimated 6 million

workers abroad, including over 80,000

professionals who are expected to leave

Libya. Bangladeshs Human Flight score

decreased as economic growth returned to

pre-global crisis levels.

The Uneven Development indicator

dropped significantly due to the countrys

pursuit of tax reforms.

Bangladeshs Poverty and Decline score

improved slightly as growth in the

nonagricultural sectors fueled increased

consumption.

Bangladeshs low-lying terrain is prone to

floods and cyclones, which frequently

undermine food production and displace

large populations. Climate change and water

pollution have also put pressure on the

countrys food security. Ethnic tensions and

violence against minority populations

contribute to Bangladeshs instability.

Bangladeshs economy is fast-growing at a

constant rate between 5-6% despite

mismanagement, corruption, and politicalinstability. The service sector, manufacturing

and remittances are key contributors to the

economy.

Despite global economic crises and natural

disasters, Bangladesh has made great strides

in food security in recent years thanks to tax

reforms and progress in school enrollment.


Indicators

Social, Economic &Political Pressures


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Political & Military Indicators

Legitimacy ofthe State

PublicServices

HumanRights

SecurityApparatus

FactionalizedElites

ExternalIntervention

8.0 8.0 7.1 7.9 8.9 6.242nd 41st 59th 30th 19th 88th

Weak Weak Weak Weak Poor Weak

Steady Improved Improved Steady Steady Steady

Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend Year-on-Year Trend

5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend 5-Year Trend

Improved Worsened Improved Improved Steady Steady

Recent Improvements and Declines The Legitimacy of the State score remained

high at 8.0, reflecting the fragile stability

maintained by the current government.

The next general elections are scheduled

for 2013.

Bangladeshs Public Services score

remained high as a poor domestic

i n v e s t m e n t c l i m a t e h i n d e r e d

infrastructural projects.

The Human Rights score improved, as the

government made commitments to

address issues in the country.

The Security Apparatus score remained

stable as the number of vigilante killings

decreased.

The Factionalized Elites score remained

high due to the intense rivalry between

Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

Cycling through successive military coups

and unstable governments, Bangladesh is

currently ruled by an interim emergency

government. While elections in 2008

represented significant improvement in the

countrys adherence to democratic

principles, subsequent infighting and

rampant corruption has hindered political

progress. The prevalence of corruption,

extrajudicial killings by security forces,

violence against women, and attacks against

the media and political opposition areserious concerns.


Bangladesh


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Multi-Indicator Comparison

Pressures

Finland: Best Performer Somalia: Worst Performer

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

Pressures worse than averagePressures better than average

Average of all 177 countries

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Austria: Best PerformerSomalia: Worst Performer

Capacities

A visual representation of the proportion of the totalpressure and capacity scores that are contributed by eachindividual indicator. Each color within the bar chartcorresponds to the colors of the 12 Failed States Index(pressure) indicators and the 7 Core 5+2 (capacity)indicators. Guidelines are also provided to demonstratethe average score for all 177 countries, as well as theextremes of best and worst performers.

Capacity higher than averageCapacity lower than average

Average of all 177 countries


Pressures and Capacities

Trends and Comparisons

Multi-Year Pressures Trend

2011

96

98

100

102

104

106

108

110

201020092008200720062005

94

Failed

States

Index

(Pressures)TotalScore

120

60

0

30

90

05 06 07 08 09 10 11

The large chart represents a magnifiedportion of the full scale, shown below:

Alert


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-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 +2 +4 +6 +8 +10

Pressures v. Capacities Flat Comparison

Pressures v. Capacity Plot Comparison

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0LowC

apacity

HighCapacity

20 40 60 80 100Low Pressure High Pressure 120

This chart compares pressures with capacities bycomparing the Failed States Index score (representingpressures) with an average indicator score for the Core5+2 (representing capacity). Note that the capacity score isan average, as not all countries have been assessed for allCore 5+2 indicators as yet, due to insufficient data. (Notethat the capacity measures are still under development.)

Somalia

Haiti

Afghanistan

Iraq

Cyprus

Israel

Georgia

Ireland

Argentina

LibyaParaguay

Turkmenistan

Zimbabwe

ChadC.A.R.

Sudan

Estonia

Norway

Finland

Switzerland

France

Japan

Mongolia

UzbekistanMyanmar

State Institutions and Civil Society: Core 5+2 Indicators

Leadership Military Police Judiciary Civil Service Civil Society

Moderate Weak Weak Weak Poor Good

Media

Weak

4.9 2.1 4.0 3.0 1.7 6.7 2.1

A representation of capacities vs. pressures based on the difference between average capacity indicator score and average pressure indicator score.

BangladeshHigherPressure,LowerCapacity

LowerPressure,HigherCapacity


Bangladesh

D.R.C.

Bangladesh


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Country Profile of Bangladesh