Bangladesh Fertility Rate Rises Amid National Population Council Inactivity

Bangladesh has witnessed a notable shift in its demographic indicators, highlighted by a rise in the total fertility rate and a corresponding decline in contraceptive prevalence among married women. According to data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, the total fertility rate in the country climbed to 2.4 children per woman in the year 2025. This figure marks an increase from the 2.3 children per woman recorded previously in 2019.

This recent upward tick in fertility stands in contrast to the historical trajectory of population metrics in Bangladesh. Decades prior, the country had experienced a significant and sustained decline in family size, with the fertility rate dropping sharply from 6.3 children per woman in 1975 down to 2.3 children per woman by the year 2012.

Accompanying the rising fertility rate, survey data also reveals a retreat in family planning practices across the nation. The use of contraceptives by married women aged 15 to 49 dropped significantly, falling to 58.2 percent from the 62.7 percent level that was documented in 2019.

Observers and academic experts have closely linked these concerning demographic trends to institutional stagnation, specifically pointing to the National Population Council. Official records confirm that the National Population Council has completely failed to convene, remaining entirely inactive and having held no meetings since September 2010.

Aminul Haque criticized the long-standing governance failure, stating that the population should have been at the centre of all national planning and that the council’s inactivity indicates a failure to give the issue the importance it deserved. Haque added that the council could have provided essential strategic directions, but remained absent during this critical period.

Expanding on the broader policy implications, Haque noted that the problem was not only the failure to capitalise on the demographic dividend, but more broadly a failure to adopt comprehensive population-centred policies on population management, developing people into productive human resources, and finding ways to capitalise on this potential. Haque further emphasized that the absence of any council meeting for such a long period also exposes the previous government’s approach to population policy.

In response to these compounding challenges, the National Population Council was officially reconstituted in April 2025. Under the newly established structure, the chief adviser of the interim government has been designated to serve as its chairperson, marking a potential turning point for population oversight in Bangladesh.