Birth rates rise during Covid: BBS survey

Infographic: TBS

The Covid 19 pandemic, which necessitated widespread lockdowns and confined people to their homes, has resulted in a notable rise in birth rates in Bangladesh after several years of decline and subsequent stagnation, according to a survey report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The gross birth rate (per 1,000) increased to 19.3 in 2022, from 18.8 in 2021. In addition, the total fertility rate (per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 49) increased to 2.15 from 2.05, says the report titled "Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2022".

Moreover, the report shows an increase in child mortality rates and marriages, a development that may concern policy makers regarding the policies and strategies implemented to address this issue.

Presenting the key findings of the survey at the BBS office in the capital on Tuesday, Md Alamgir Hossain, director of the project under which the survey was conducted, said the death rate (per 1,000) of children under the age of five increased to 31 in 2022, which was 28 in 2021.

Planning Minister M A Mannan attended the programme as the chief guest while the Minister of State for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam was present as the special guest.

"The rise in infant mortality rate is a matter of concern for us. This will hinder the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). But the decrease in maternal mortality is good news for us. In this regard, Bangladesh is in a better position than many neighbouring countries," Dr Shamsul Alam added.

The maternal mortality rate (per 1,00,000 alive childbirths) has decreased to 156 in 2022, which was 168 the previous year, the BBS study found.

According to the report, the use of birth control methods decreased from 65.6% in 2021 to 63.8% in 2022.

The gross marriage rate (per 1,000 population) rose from 13.5 to 18.1 in one year. Early child marriage (among 20-24 years women) increased to 6.5% in 2022, up from 4.7% in 2021.

Mohammad Mainul Islam PhD, professor at the Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, told The Business Standard, "Covid stayed in force till 2021, those who got married at that time had an impact on the fertility rate. Family planning programmes are facing a challenge in rural areas."

Besides, child marriage and early child marriage have increased. Early child pregnancy increases as child marriage increases. It is occurring more in rural areas, he said.

Average life expectancy rises

The average life expectancy has risen to 72.4 years in 2022, marking a slight increase from 72.3 years reported in 2021, finds the BBS survey.

The average life expectancy for men experienced a small but notable rise, reaching 70.8 years in 2022, compared to 70.6 years in 2021. Similarly, for women, the average life expectancy increased to 74.2 years in 2022, up from 74.1 years in 2021.

Literacy rate

According to the BBS survey, the literacy rate among the population aged seven years and above has increased. In 2022, this rate rose to 76.8% from 76.4% in the previous year.

Disability

According to the survey, the rate of disability (per 1,000 population) increased from 24.1% to 25.5%.

Electricity facility

In 2022, about 0.75% of the population in the country did not have access to electricity. The rate was 0.76% in 2021.

In 2022, 97.14% of the population is getting electricity from the national grid, which was 96.86% in 2021. 

National grid electricity usage is increasing but solar electricity usage is decreasing. Around 2.25% of the population benefited from solar power in 2021. But in 2022, the rate is 2.02%.

Toilet facility

As of 2022, around 0.8% of the population in the country still defecates in the open. The rate was 1% in 2021.

Around 66.1% of the population had access to safe sanitation facilities in 2022. The rate was 68% in 2021.

Mobile and Internet facility

According to the BBS survey, the rate of the total mobile phone user population (age 15+) in the country is 73.8% in 2022, up from 71.3% the previous year.

The proportion of Internet users (15+ years) increased from 43.7% to 45.5%.

Banking facility

The BBS survey says the rate of the population (15+ years) with bank and financial institution accounts in the country has declined from 27.9% in 2021 to 26.2% in 2022.

The rate of the population with mobile financial services accounts (15+ years) decreased from 42.6% in 2021 to 41.9% in 2022.

Divorce rate increases

According to the BBS survey, the gross divorce rate (per 1,000 population) increased in 2022. The survey found the divorce rate increased from 0.7% in 2021 to 1.4% in 2022.

The divorce rate in rural areas increased from 0.8% to 1.8%. The city's rate rose from 0.5% to 1.0%.

Professor ASM Amanullah of Dhaka University said the way BBS calculates the rate is not accurate. Due to incorrect methods, real information does not emerge. In fact, the rate of divorce in the country is higher.

Migration

According to the survey, the rate of internal migration (per 1,000 population) from one district to another increased from 30.7% in 2021 to 30.9% in 2022.

The rural-to-urban migration rate decreased to 9.3% in 2022 from 11.5% in 2021. The urban-to-rural migration increased from 5.9% to 10.9%.

Besides, the city-to-city migration rate increased from 29.9% in 2021 to 38.4% in 2022.

The BBS survey showed an increase in the rate of international migration. The rate is 6.6% in 2022, up from 3% the previous year.