Bangladesh
People's Republic of Bangladesh │ গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ
Bangladesh is the world's second largest exporter of garments and textiles after China, making it one of the most important players in the global textile industry. More than 4.5 million people in Bangladesh work in the textile industry, the majority of whom are women. By 2021, the government's stated goal is to continue to grow the industry and increase annual exports of textiles and garments to a value of US$50 billion, nearly double the 2016 figure.
Legislation and enforcement has evolved significantly in many areas since the Rana Plaza disaster. These include union representation, minimum wage, and job security. Nevertheless, ILO’s International Labour Standards are still not being met in many factories. The continued growth of the industry also has an impact on the environment: In particular, the production of textiles (e.g. dyeing, printing) involves very high consumption of water, chemicals and energy.
Population
Total
165,158,616 (2022)
Gross Domestic Product
GDP per Capita (constant USD, thousand)
2,687 (2022)
Human Development Index Ranking
HDI Rank (out of 191 countries)
129 (2021)
Garment/Textile Workers
Number of workers in the garment/textile sector
4,000,000 (2019)
Women Workers in the Garment/Textile Industry
Percentage of women workers employed in the garment/textile industry
60.5% (2018)
Number of Garment/Textile Factories
Number of factories in the garment/textile industry
4621 (2019)
Garment/Textile Industry Exports
(USD$ billion)
USD 42.613 billion (2022)
Garment/Textile Industry Size
Percentage of total exports
81.82% (2022)
Key Garment/Textile Export Markets
Top five countries ($USD value exported and subsequent percentage)
| Country | Percentage of Exports |
|---|---|
| United States | 21.2% |
| Germany | 16.8% |
| United Kingdom | 10.6% |
| Spain | 7.1% |
| France | 5.6% |
Government Entities
Government agencies actively involved in the garment/textile industry
Ministry of Labour and Employment
Ministry of Commerce
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE)
Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE)
Worker Organizations
Trade unions, Union federations, and other worker organizations
National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE)
IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC)
Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation
Employer/Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce
Employers and industry related associations, private sectors associations and chambers of commerce
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA)
Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF)
Development Agencies/ International Organizations
National and international development organizations working within the garment/textile industry
- GIZ FABRIC Asia
- Decent Work in Garment Supply Chains Asia (ILO)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
Better Work Bangladesh (BWB)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
UNICEF
UNWomen
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Civil Society Organizations/ Non-governmental Organizations
Organizations working within the garment/textile industry
Awaj Foundation
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
CARE Bangladesh
Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
Fairwear Foundation
Oxfam International
Plan International
Solidarity Center
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
Sources of data provided
- Population: http://www.bbs.gov.bd/site/page/47856ad0-7e1c-4aab-bd78-892733bc06eb/Population-&-Housing
- GDP Per Capita: http://www.bbs.gov.bd/site/page/dc2bc6ce-7080-48b3-9a04-73cec782d0df/Gross-Domestic-Product-(GDP
- HDI: http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries
- Garment / Textile Workers: https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/d6556cd1_dc6f_41f5_a766_042b69cb1687/2021-06-30-09-25-67bbe4c5c15d7773d82c86adbd26bba9.pdf, page 47
- Women Workers in the Garment /Textile Industry: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_754669.pdf, page 7
- Number of Garment / Textile Factories: https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/d6556cd1_dc6f_41f5_a766_042b69cb1687/2021-06-30-09-25-67bbe4c5c15d7773d82c86adbd26bba9.pdf, page 47
- Garment / Textile Industry Exports: https://www.bgmea.com.bd/page/Export_Performance
- Garment / Textile Industry Size: https://www.bgmea.com.bd/page/Export_Performance
- Key Garment / Textile Export Market: https://www.bgmea.com.bd/page/Export_Performance
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Environment
- Social & Labour
- Gender ILO calculation based on labour force survey in Bangladesh 2017 Q1 & 2017Q2 https://www.ilo.org/surveyLib/index.php/catalog/2214
What's going on in Bangladesh?
Smita Nimilita is the country representative for HERproject in Bangladesh. We speak to her about the current situation in the RMG sector, the importance of creating equal pathways for women to participate in decision and policy making, and the benefits that wage digitization can bring to workers and factories.
News on Bangladesh
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The country director of International Labour Organisation in Bangladesh, Tuomo Poutiainen, on Sunday urged the government to implement the labour reform roadmap and the national action plan to address the post-graduation challenges and to resolve the complaint lodged against the country for its non-observance of three core labour conventions.
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