Madaripur most poverty-stricken district, Noakhali least: BBS

Infographics: TBS

Highlights

• Districts with the highest poverty rates – Madaripur, Narsingdi, Pirojpur, Kishoreganj, Chapainawabganj, Netrakona, Jhalokati, Panchagarh and Kurigram
• Districts with the lowest poverty rates – Noakhali, Dhaka, Meherpur, Khulna, Feni, Sirajganj, Habiganj, Munshiganj, Chattogram and Bogura
• BBS survey reveals a shift in poverty-stricken districts between 2010 and 2022

Madaripur has the highest poverty rate in the country, with 54.4% of its population living below the upper poverty line. The district's upazilas are also among the most poverty-affected, with Dasar upazila having a poverty rate of 63.2%, according to a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey.

In contrast, Noakhali has the lowest poverty rate at 6.1%, followed by Dhaka at 6.8%. The Paltan area in Dhaka has the country's lowest poverty rate, at just 1%.

BBS unveiled the findings of its Poverty Map 2022 at a programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital's Agargaon yesterday (30 January), with Mahbub Hossain, secretary of the Statistics and Information Management Department, as the chief guest.

Following Madaripur, other poverty-affected districts include Narsingdi (43.7%), Pirojpur (37.9%), Kishoreganj (35.3%), Chapainawabganj (34.7%), Netrakona (33.9%), Jhalokati (33.5%), Panchagarh (33.2%) and Kurigram (31.3%).

Shifting poverty landscape

In its report, BBS compared the poverty rate of 2010 with the trend in 2022, revealing shifts in poverty-prone districts. 

In 2010, the most poverty-affected district was Shariatpur, followed by Mymensingh, Sherpur, Gopalganj, Rajbari, Kurigram, Netrokona, Barisal, Faridpur, Madaripur and Sirajganj.

By 2022, Narsingdi, Pirojpur, Kishoreganj, Chapainawabganj, Jhalokati, and Panchagarh emerged as new poverty-prone districts. Meanwhile, Shariatpur, Rajbari, Gopalganj, Faridpur and Sirajganj, which were among the most poverty-affected in 2010, no longer appear on this list.

However, Madaripur, Netrokona and Kurigram remained among the most poverty-prone districts in 2010 as well as 2022.

According to BBS, the poverty rates of all districts and upazilas were estimated through the Small Area Estimation method, based on the 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey and the Population and Housing Census. The report includes detailed poverty maps highlighting poverty-prone and extreme poverty-prone areas.

Districts with lowest poverty

The BBS report identifies Noakhali as the district with the lowest poverty rate in 2022, at 6.1%. It is followed by Dhaka (8.6%) and Meherpur (9.8%).

Other districts with relatively low poverty rates include: Khulna (10.2%), Feni (10.5%), Sirajganj (10.9%), Habiganj (10.9%), Munshiganj (11.3%), Chattogram (12%) and Bogura (12%).

Upazilas with highest and lowest poverty

According to BBS data, the most poverty-prone upazilas in the country are primarily located in Madaripur district, with all its upazilas being among the highest poverty-prone areas.

Madaripur's Dasar upazila has the highest poverty rate in the country, at 63.2% in 2022. Following closely, Haluaghat upazila in Mymensingh has a poverty rate of 59.6%. 

Rajoir upazila in Madaripur comes next with a poverty rate of 56.3%, and Shibchar upazila has a poverty rate of 55.1%. 

Other high-poverty upazilas include Nalchity upazila in Jhalokati with a poverty rate of 53.8%, Gouripur upazila in Mymensingh at 52.9% and Madaripur Sadar upazila at 50%. 

Additionally, Belabo upazila in Narsingdi has a poverty rate of 49.5%, and Bada upazila in Panchagarh is at 48.2%.

On the other hand, the lowest poverty-prone upazila or thana (police station) in the country is Paltan, Dhaka, with a poverty rate of just 1%. Other areas with low poverty rates include Uttara West thana in Dhaka at 1.1%, Double Mooring thana in Chattogram also at 1.1%, Airport thana in Dhaka at 1.4%, Dhanmondi in Dhaka at 1.5% and Dhaka New Market at 1.7%. 

Additionally, Panchlaish in Chattogram has a poverty rate of 1.6%, while Gandaria in Dhaka is at 2.4%, Cantonment in Dhaka at 2.9%, and Kotwali in Dhaka also at 2.9%.

Districts with extreme poverty

According to the BBS data, the districts with the highest levels of extreme poverty in 2022 are Barguna, Barishal, Bhola, Jhalokati, Patuakhali, Chandpur, Cox's Bazar, Madaripur, Narsingdi, Netrakona, Sherpur, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Natore, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj.

On the other hand, the districts with the least extreme poverty are Noakhali, Dhaka, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Manikganj, Rajbari, Tangail, Narail and Habiganj.