Bangladesh Needs a Two-Year Economic Recovery Agenda

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads—again. The economy, once the envy of the developing world for its steady growth and poverty reduction, is now caught in a slow, uncertain transition. Growth has weakened, private investment has stalled, the poverty situation has regressed, and job creation has lost momentum. Inflation

Shattered Illusions: The Harsh Truth Behind Bangladesh’s Poverty Reversal

The recent finding from the survey by the Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) that over one in four people in Bangladesh now live in poverty, a sharp increase from just a few years ago, reported by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), should serve as a sobering alarm bell. This is not simply

COP30 in Belem: A Crucial Turning Point or Yet Another Missed Opportunity?

The 30th COP (COP30) of the UNFCCC will take place from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil. It is also the first time the summit is held in the Amazon region, a symbolic decision that represents the double crisis of climate change and social and economic inequality. While its geographical proximity

What Bangladesh’s Youth Want After the July Uprising

Bangladesh’s young people are at a pivotal juncture. On one side, they are more educated, better connected, and more ambitious than any previous generation. On the other side, they face a tough reality: shrinking job opportunities, an outmoded education system, and political structures that largely

Beyond Incrementalism: Rethinking Economic Reform in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is at the crossroads where economic reform is no longer an option, but a requirement. There have been several structural flaws in key sectors, i.e. taxation, the financial sector, management of public spending, trade policy, and investment rules. These flaws have held the country back from maintaining high economic

Bangladesh: A Looming Debt Trap?

Bangladesh’s external debt doubled since 2017 to stand at approximately $100 billion in 2024. This accelerated growth indicates a significant turn in the country’s economic direction. Most of this borrowing has gone towards financing large-scale infrastructure projects, supported by bilateral

Empowering Bangladesh’s Private Sector: Three Post-LDC Strategies

The domestic private sector is the pillar of Bangladesh’s economic growth, job generation, and export competitiveness. While the country is graduating from the LDC status in 2026 and targets to be an upper-middle-income country in the future, the development of private sector capabilities is a prerequisite

Navigating Global Trade Turbulence: Bangladesh’s Strategic Pathway

There are several emerging trends in international trade and investment. First, there are ongoing trends of fragmentation of trade and reorganization of geopolitics. The growing US-China, US-Canada, and US-Mexico trade war is compelling trade diversification and regionalisation. The “China+1” approach

Unpacking Bangladesh’s Economic Resilience

Economic resilience, defined as the ability of an economy to quickly rebound from shocks while remaining stable and growing over the long term, is one of the most important determinants of a country’s ability to resist internal and exogenous shocks. For Bangladesh

Waning Foreign Investment: A Wake-Up Call for Policymakers in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has struggled to attract substantial foreign direct investment (FDI), reflected in its low FDI as a percentage of GDP compared to regional peers. In 2023, Bangladesh’s FDI to GDP ratio was only 0.4%, while Vietnam’s was 4.3%. In that year, Vietnam attracted around 39 billion