51% of girls in Bangladesh are married before they turn 18: UNFPA

Bangladesh continues to have the highest rate of child marriage in Asia as 51% of girls in the country are married off before their 18th birthday, according to the State of World Population report 2023 of The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Among the Asian countries, Nepal has the second highest rate of child marriage with 33% of girls in the country are married before they turn 18. The rate is 23% in India and 18% in Pakistan. Globally, Niger has the highest rate of child marriage with 76%, followed by Mali with 54%. 

The report, published at the UNFPA office in Gulshan, Dhaka on Sunday, also reveals that Bangladesh's population stands at 17.30 crore this year, with a total fertility rate of 1.9 per woman, which is lower than the world fertility rate of 2.3.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' population census 2022, however, reported Bangladesh's population at 16.98 crore.

Bangladesh population's annual doubling time (the number of years it would take a population to double assuming a constant growth rate) is 68 years, whereas the world population's annual doubling time is 76 years, according to the report. 

In the less developed regions, the average annual doubling time is 65 years, and in the least developed countries, it is 30 years. Among South Asian nations, the Indian population's annual doubling time is 75 years and Pakistan's is 35 years.

The report is titled "8 billion Lives, infinite possibilities: the case for Rights and Choices" and advocates for an end to exaggerated narratives about population growth and decline.

Kristine Blokhus, representative of the UNFPA Bangladesh who launched the UNFPA's flagship publication in Dhaka on Sunday said that the global population size stands at 8.05 billion – the largest population the world has ever seen.

The population reached eight billion in November 2022, she mentioned, adding, "This milestone shows that people are living longer, healthier lives and enjoying more rights. More women survive pregnancy, and more newborns survive the first months of life. Children are more likely to grow into adulthood and beyond."

And, yet this milestone has been met with considerable anxiety, she also said. 

She added that the world exceeds 8 billion people at a moment of overlapping and escalating crisis, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the dawning climate catastrophe, and historic levels of mass displacement. Weakened economies, conflict, and food and energy shortages pose threats everywhere in the world.

She also said that two-thirds of all people live in a place with sub-replacement fertility. Much of current population growth is driven by rising lifespans, she noted, adding that for the next 25+ years, two-thirds of all population growth will be driven by past growth.

The most recent Sustainable Development Goals data reveal that out of 68 reporting countries, an estimated 44% of partnered women cannot make decisions over health care, contraception, or sex.

The report shows that there are more females (50.43%) than males (49.51%) population in Bangladesh, according to the Census, having implications for the society and the economy, including reaping the gender dividend.

The age structure of the population shows a favorable demographic transition with 26% population aged 0-14, 68% aged 15-64, and 6% aged 65+.

Life expectancy at birth is 72 for men and 76 for women in 2023. Where 70.6 for males and 74.1 for females in 2021.

Maternal mortality and child marriage rate are declining, the contraceptive prevalence rate is rising. Despite this marked success, we need to do way more to achieve 3 zeros and SDGs.

The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is reported in the report in 123 (death per 100,000 live births) which needs to be explained with caution, as it is based on a new estimate done by UNFPA, WHO, WB, and UNICEF. From the BBS data in 2021, the MMR was 168.

Resulting in a very high rate of adolescent pregnancy. The adolescent birth per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years is 74. Almost one in every four married adolescents already started childbearing.

The contraceptive prevalence rate is 64%. The unmet need for FP is 12% for married or in a union. Which was 10% in 2022.

The report also showed that there 23% of women in Bangladesh are subject to intimate partner violence and Two-thirds of women lack decision-making on Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).