Bangladesh. Photo: Hugh Rutherford

Facts and figures

Bangladesh is one of the lowest lying countries in the world with a network of rivers that criss-cross the country and form part of a huge delta incorporating the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. This river network results in the land being frequently flooded (23 million people were left homeless by flooding in 1998) but the positive effect is that the soil fertility is regularly renewed and the country is able to produce up to three rice crops a year.

Most eye care services in Bangladesh are based in major cities, however over 75% of the country's population live in rural areas without access to services.

Eye health

  • Number of blind people: 750,000
  • Main causes of blindness: Cataract (80%), refractive error, macular degeneration, uncorrected aphakia
  • Number of people with cataract blindness: 650,000 backlog of cases and an annual incidence of 130,000 cases
  • Number of cataract operations performed annually: 120,000
  • Number of ophthalmologists: 626
  • Reasons for low cataract surgical rates and backlog: Lack of trained eye health personnel and public awareness
  • Childhood blindness rate: Approximately 40,000 children are blind (12,000 cases due to cataract)

Most cases of blindness are treatable or avoidable, however in Bangladesh many people do not receive eye care due to barriers in accessing eye health services.

Blindness in Bangladesh is more prevalent among woman, the elderly, the illiterate and the poor. Many people unnecessarily become and remain blind due to extreme poverty and lack of awareness that cataract blindness is preventable.

Sources: Human Development Report 2006, UNDP, World Health Organization

General health

  • Population: 146 million
  • Life expectancy: 63.3 years
  • Infant mortality rate: 56 per 1,000 births
  • Percentage of population which is undernourished: 30%
  • Number of doctors: 26 per 100,000 people

The people of Bangladesh have experienced sound improvements in their overall health over the past decade. Despite these improvements, the health situation of the Bangladeshi people remains poor by world standards and is exacerbated by widespread poverty. 

Nearly one third of the population is malnourished with very little improvement over the past decade.

Sources: Human Development Report 2006, UNDP, World Health Organization