As many as 47.42% Bangladeshi households have fallen into #debt balancing soaring living expenses against stagnant earnings, with rural families hit harder than city dwellers, according to a special survey by the #Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). According to the Living Standard Survey 2025 conducted by BBS’s #Poverty and #Livelihood Statistics Cell, over the past year, 51.91% households in rural areas, 40.19% in urban areas and 32.11% in city corporation areas were forced to borrow to cover basic living expenses. The LSS 2025 found the average national monthly household income stood at Tk 33,513, while the average national monthly expenses amounted to Tk 35,311. In contrast, the 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey found the national average household income to be Tk 32,422 and the national average expenses Tk 31,500. According to Zahid Hussain, a former lead economist of the World Bank’s #Dhaka office, there has been a steady decline in economic #growth in recent years alongside high single-digit or double-digit #inflation that is showing no signs of abating. At the same time, #employment has remained stagnant while real #wages have steadily fallen. He added that the survey data confirms the WB’s macroeconomic projections that poverty rates are on the rise. Zahid noted that the economic slowdown is largely driven by a four-year inflationary surge compounded by acute #energy shortages that have curtailed business operating hours, forced factory closures, and stalled job creation, particularly within the country’s industrial sectors. Report: thedailystar.net/news/bangla… ... @WorldBankSAsia @IMFNews

According to the #IMF’s October 2026 World Economic Outlook, #consumer prices in #Bangladesh are projected to rise by 10.9% in 2027, the highest rate among its South Asian neighbours. The projected #inflation rates for other countries in the region are considerably lower: #Pakistan (9.9%), Bhutan (6.5%), Nepal (5.8%), Sri Lanka (5.4%), #India (4.4%), and the Maldives (2.5%). Bangladesh’s projected inflation rate is more than twice that of India and over four times that of the #Maldives, highlighting the significant cost-of-living pressures facing Bangladeshi households. If these projections materialise, families will face further increases in the cost of essential goods and services, including food, transport, and housing. As a larger share of household income is absorbed by everyday necessities, families will have less money available for savings, education, healthcare, and other expenditures. The widening disparity between Bangladesh and its regional neighbours also raises serious questions about the country's ability to contain inflation, stabilise prices, and protect household purchasing power. With inflation projected to remain in double digits in 2027, easing the cost-of-living burden will remain a major economic challenge for Bangladesh. Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026. ...

18.1 Million People in #Bangladesh Projected to Face Acute #Food Insecurity as #Inflation and Rising Living Costs Squeeze Households. An estimated 18.1 million people in Bangladesh could face high levels of acute food insecurity between Sep and Dec 2026, up from 15.3 million during May–Aug, according to projections by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (@FAO). Citing an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the UN agency also warned that approximately 787,000 people could face emergency-level food insecurity, reflecting the severity of the country's growing food security challenges. Wages Fail to Keep Pace With Inflation According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), general inflation rose to 8.34% in September, up from 8.26% in August, while food inflation increased from 7.02% to 7.22%. Meanwhile, the national wage rate index grew by just 7.90%, falling behind general inflation. This widening gap between wage growth and rising prices indicates an erosion of purchasing power, particularly among households already struggling to meet basic expenses. For millions of Bangladeshis, the consequences are increasingly evident: incomes are failing to keep pace with the rising costs of food, housing, transport and other necessities. Higher Fuel Prices Add to the Burden The situation has been further aggravated by rising fuel prices. On Sep 21, the #BNP Gov increased the prices of diesel, petrol, octane and kerosene by Tk 20 per litre, adding to transportation and distribution costs across the economy. Traders have cited higher transport costs as a major factor behind recent increases in the prices of household essentials, including rice. The fuel price hike has also directly increased daily commuting expenses, placing additional financial pressure on working families. Lower- and Middle-Income Households Hit Hardest A recent report by @DhakaTribune highlighted how lower- and middle-income households in #Dhaka are bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis. Visits to wet markets across the capital revealed that financial pressures are increasingly influencing not only what people buy, but also how much they can afford and what they eat, both at home and outside. Professor Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), warned that persistent inflation was placing substantial pressure on household purchasing power. As a result, many families are being forced to reduce food consumption, compromise on nutritional quality and make other sacrifices simply to manage their daily expenses. Government's Policy Priorities Come Under Scrutiny With food, housing and transportation costs rising simultaneously, questions are mounting over the government's response to the growing cost-of-living crisis and its spending priorities. Nazneen Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), argued that the government should have expanded subsidised food distribution programmes, including Open Market Sales (OMS), to protect vulnerable households from inflation. Instead, she observed, the opposite appears to be happening. At the same time, questions are being raised over the government's decision to prioritise massive expenditure commitments, including the proposed new National Pay Scale for civil servants. The Cabinet of Prime Minister #TariqueRahman recently approved salary increases ranging from 100% to 142% for government employees, the largest pay revision of its kind. The proposed increases are expected to impose an additional annual burden of Tk 105,580 crore (approximately US$8.6 billion) on the public exchequer. While not objectionable per se, the scale and timing of such non urgent expenditure raise serious questions about fiscal priorities, particularly when millions of citizens are struggling to afford adequate food and basic nutrition. Report: dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/… ...

#Bangladesh’s Ongoing Deadly #Measles Outbreak: A Timeline of Preventable Failures and Questions of Accountability. Bangladesh’s ongoing measles outbreak, the worst in 21 years which has claimed more than 1,100 lives so far, is not merely a public health emergency but also raises serious questions about administrative failures, policy decisions, and government accountability. The origins of the crisis can be traced to disruptions in childhood #immunisation programmes during 2024 and 2025, when the country experienced shortages of measles-rubella vaccines and delays in supplementary vaccination campaigns. The @WHO identified nationwide vaccine stockouts, gaps in routine immunisation, and the absence of regular nationwide supplementary campaigns as factors contributing to the outbreak. These developments left millions of children vulnerable to a highly contagious but #vaccine-preventable disease. Throughout 2024 and 2025, @UNICEF repeatedly warned the #Yunus-led Interim Govt about vaccine shortages and the growing risk of an outbreak. Despite the warnings, the situation deteriorated further in Sep 2025, when the Interim Govt discontinued the established arrangement for procuring vaccines through @UNICEFBD and shifted towards an open-tender procurement system. The decision introduced further procurement delays. By late 2025, the supplementary measles-rubella vaccination campaign, originally planned for 2024 and subsequently postponed, had been cancelled. The combined effects of vaccine shortages, declining immunisation coverage, and missed #vaccination campaigns created conditions in which measles could spread rapidly. By Jan 2026, outbreaks were emerging, including among vulnerable populations in #Rohingya refugee camps, while infections began increasing across Bangladesh. The BNP Govt took office in Feb 2026. The crisis escalated dramatically during Mar and Apr 2026, with infections and deaths rising across the country. On 30 Mar, the authorities approved an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign. By 14 April, reported figures for the preceding month had reached approximately 19,000 suspected cases and more than 160 suspected deaths. Yet, despite the rapidly escalating outbreak, the BNP Govt declined to formally declare a public health emergency. On 20 Apr, Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain publicly stated that the situation did not warrant such a declaration. While the government had initiated emergency vaccination and other containment measures, its refusal to formally declare an emergency raises questions about whether stronger national mobilisation and coordination could at least, have minimised the death-toll. On 20 Apr, the govt expanded its vaccination campaign nationwide, with support from UNICEF, WHO, and @gavi, targeting millions of vulnerable #children. However, the disease had already spread extensively. By 25 Jun, all 64 districts had been affected, with reported figures exceeding 95,760 cases, and 596 deaths. Although emergency vaccination campaigns were eventually undertaken, an important question remains whether earlier procurement, timely supplementary vaccination, and more decisive intervention could have prevented the outbreak from reaching such devastating proportions. By Oct 2026, the human cost had become staggering. The country recorded 1,164 measles-related deaths, and the number of cases had reached 206,297, since 15 March. The chronology raises questions about the responsibilities of two successive administrations. The Yunus-led interim Govt must account for its vaccine-procurement decisions, the disruption of established supply arrangements, and the failure to ensure timely supplementary vaccination despite repeated warnings. The BNP Govt, meanwhile, must explain whether its response adequately matched the severity of the escalating outbreak, particularly its decision not to declare a formal public health emergency. …