Country Factsheet
Bangladesh
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Bangladesh. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
South Asia
Population
169.36 million
Income Group
Lower middle income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
24.30%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
24.64%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
13.50%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
15Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
1.13 millionNumber of people benefiting
4.87 millionParticipants served by government-led programs (%)
86.66%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate-Smart Agriculture and Water Management Project | 2021 | Bangladesh Water Development Board, Department of Agricultural Extension, and Department of Fisheries | The project aims to enhance climate resilience and productivity of targeted agriculture and fishery schemes through improved climate resilience of flood control, drainage, and irrigation infrastructure systems and climate-smart agriculture and fishery production and marketing. | Targets poor broadly | Yes | ||
| Economic Recovery of the Climate Migrants and New Poor Living in Climate Vulnerable Urban Low-Income Settlements | 2022 | BRAC | The project aims to address the challenges faced by climate migrants and the new poor by equipping them with skills and resources that support resilient livelihoods. | 802 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Enhancing Resilience of Coastal Communities and Improving Income of Extreme Poor Households in Khulna District | 2021 | Shushilan | The project aims to strengthen the climate resilience of the extreme poor in Khulna and enhance the community's and local government's capacity to adapt to and prepare for climate-related disasters. | 5,725 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Gender Inclusive Pathways out of Poverty for Vulnerable Households in Cox's Bazar Project | 2018 | World Vision Bangladesh | The project aims to increase improve income, food security and nutrition, and financial, social and gender inclusion in ultra-poor households. | 2,880 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Integrated Development Program (IDP) | 2013 | BRAC | The program aims to address the interconnected challenges of people living in extreme deprivation, including limited productive assets and social exclusion. | 54,300 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Last Mile Rural Distribution | 2013 | JITA Bangladesh, with support from CARE Social Ventures (CSV) | The program supplies quality consumer goods promoting health, hygiene, and nutrition outcomes. Through this process the program also creates supplemental income opportunities through entrepreneurship. | Targets poor broadly | Yes | ||
| Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment | 2021 | Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) | The program provides comprehensive support, including counseling, informal apprenticeships, life skills training, microfinance assistance and business management training to support beneficiaries. | 40,000 | Targets poor broadly | Yes | |
| Skills Development Program (STAR and PROMISE) | 2012 | BRAC | STAR is a six-month apprenticeship-based training with job placements in the information economy for disadvantaged youth. The program also includes a business incubation component that comprises training, mentoring, and access to finance for small and micro-entrepreneurs. | 17,193 | 26-50% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Strengthening Women’s Ability for Productive New Opportunities (SWAPNO) Project. | 2015 | Local Government Division with technical support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | SWAPNO supports productive employment and climate-adaptive livelihoods for ultra-poor rural female headed households. | 12,492 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Sustainable Microenterprise and Resilient Transformation (SMART) | 2023 | Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) | The program supports the green growth of microenterprises through access to finance, improved management and communication, knowledge generation, and monitoring and evaluation. | Does not target by poverty level | Yes | ||
| Ultra Poor Graduation (UPG) Program | 2002 | BRAC | The program supports ultra-poor households in achieving sustainable livelihoods through a comprehensive, time-bound and sequenced set of interventions. | 70,000 | All (100% of participants are female) | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Urban Green Graduation - Dhaka | 2023 | Concern Worldwide | The program supports populations in extreme poverty by providing consumption support, technical and business skills training, coaching and mentoring, access to financial services and capital, and asset transfers. | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |