Dhaka, Oct 10: The population of Bangladesh could double to 250 million by 2050 if the current growth rate of two per cent a year continues, a UN report said today. According to a 2001 population census, the population of Bangladesh was 123.1 million with a density of 834 people per square kilometre.

By the end of this year, the projected population will be 146.7 million, according to the state of the world population 2003 released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The report said that Bangladesh had achieved success in controlling the total fertility rate despite the high growth rate.

While the fertility rate had been steady at 3.46 per cent for the last few years, it added births per 1,000 women aged between 15-19 in Bangladesh were higher than other countries in the region.


The report said the world population will jump from 6.3 billion to 8.9 billion by 2050, with most of the rise coming from developing and less developed countries.
Nearly half the world population is under the age of 25 years and 20 per cent are adolescents in the 10-19 age group, according to UNFPA country representative in Bangladesh, Suneeta Mukherjee.

Mukherjee said the population projection was a "wake-up call" for everyone to listen to young people and make more funds available to deal with their problems.
Bureau Report