UNFPA calls for urgent action to improve health and rights of women and girls

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) welcomes the preliminary findings of the 2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), calling the data a timely reflection of Bangladesh's progress — and persistent challenges — in advancing the health and wellbeing of women, adolescents, and children.

Conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics with technical support from UNICEF, the survey covers 172 indicators, including 27 linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

According to MICS 2025, infant mortality has declined to 29 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 34 in 2019. Facility-based deliveries have risen to 71 percent, and 77 percent of births are now attended by skilled personnel — a notable jump from the previous MICS round. 

UNFPA credited these gains to nearly five decades of collaborative efforts, including the establishment of midwifery education, human resource development, and improved maternal health services.

However, UNFPA expressed serious concern over several indicators that threaten to slow national progress. Child marriage, though decreasing overall, remains widespread. While the share of women aged 20–24 married before 18 has fallen from 51.4 to 47.2 percent, the percentage of married adolescents aged 15–19 has increased significantly — from 32.9 to 38.9 percent. UNFPA warned that at the current rate, eliminating child marriage could take more than 200 years.

The adolescent birth rate has also risen from 83 to 92 per 1,000 girls aged 15–19, underscoring the direct link between early marriage, early childbearing, and poorer health outcomes. Fertility rates have shown a slight uptick, partly due to reduced access to family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic and declining contraceptive prevalence, now at 58.2 percent.

UNFPA welcomed the government's new National Family Planning Strategy (2025–2030) and the National Population Policy 2025 – strategic documents developed with UNFPA's support - which emphasise rights, choices, and a life-cycle approach to wellbeing. 

Another alarming trend is the rise in caesarean section deliveries, which have surged from 36 percent in 2019 to 51.8 percent. Most occur in poorly regulated private facilities, posing risks of unsafe surgery, unnecessary interventions, and increased financial burden. 

Rapid deployment of trained midwives, stronger clinical governance, and improved referral pathways are urged to ensure safe delivery practices.

UNFPA Representative Catherine Breen Kamkong noted that as Bangladesh advances toward upper-middle-income status, "there is no pathway to success without investing in the health, rights, and education of women and girls."