Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

To measure extreme poverty is to quantify the edge of human survival. Defined by the international threshold of .15/day, 2017 PPP, these figures represent the availability of the most fundamental necessities: food, shelter, and basic resources. For millions, these are not abstract points on a graph but the daily reality of navigating a precarious existence. Each percentage point tracks the struggle of real people striving to secure the minimum requirements for life across three centuries of history.

The trajectory of Bangladesh reveals a long period of stagnation followed by a profound shift. Throughout the 1800s, the rate climbed steadily from 89.8% to 93.08% by the 1890s, eventually reaching a peak of 93.44% in 1900. The following decades initiated a gradual descent that accelerated significantly toward the modern era. By the 2020s, extreme poverty in Bangladesh stands at 13.5%, with projections suggesting a continued downward trend to 1.35% by the 2100s.

This shift fundamentally reshapes the probability of a human life. A person born in the 1900s faced a statistical probability of living in extreme poverty of 93.44%, inhabiting a landscape where nearly everyone occupied the lowest economic tier. Conversely, someone born in the 2020s enters a world where that figure is 13.5%, ranking #116 of 157 countries. As these percentages decline, the fundamental opportunities afforded to the average citizen expand, redefining the standard of living for generations.

Explore where you rank among everyone ever born to see how your own narrative fits into this broader global timeline.