Dhaka, Bangladesh Population 2024

Dhaka's 2024 population is now estimated at 23,935,700In 1950, the population of Dhaka was 335,760Dhaka has grown by 726,100 in the last year, which represents a 3.13% annual change.These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Dhaka, which typically includes Dhaka's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.

Dhaka is a diverse city located in central Bangladesh along the Buriganga River. Not only is it the capital city, but it is also the largest in the country. In 2016, the population was 18.237 million in the Greater Dhaka Area.

Dhaka is the most populated city in Bangladesh, and it is also one of the most populated cities in the world. The Greater Dhaka Area has a population of over 18 million as of 2016, while the city itself has a population estimated at 8.5 million.

City Size and Population Density

It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with a density of 23,234 people per square kilometer within a total area of 300 square kilometers.

Dhaka Demographics

Dhaka and the municipalities that make up the Greater Dhaka Area have a total population of over 18 million, and the city has shown a population growth of about 4.2% annually. The vibrant culture and thousands of Bangladeshi businesses and international corporations have contributed to migration and population growth. However, like many other metropolises in the world, the growing population has led to an increase in pollution, congestion, and poverty, among other problems.

Islam is the dominant religion in Dhaka, with 90% of the population identifying as Muslim. Most Muslims are Sunni, and Ahmadiyya and Shia make up the remainder of the 90%. Hinduism is the second most practiced religion, and Christianity and Buddhism are considered minority religions practiced by some Dhakaites.

The primary language in Dhaka is Bengali, with English being the second most primarily used language. The literacy rate of the city has been increasing over the years, rising from 69.2% in 2001 to 74.6% in 2011.

A large number of Dhakaites work in the household or unorganized labor, while a substantial portion (approximately 800,000) work in the textile industry, as Dhaka’s garments exporting topped over 19 billion dollars in 2013. Approximately 23% of the population was unemployed according to data from 2013, with an estimated 34% of households living below the poverty line.

The average life expectancy is 70.4 years according to 2013 data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, which reflected a significant increase from 2009’s 67.2 years average. The average life expectancy for males is 68.8, up from 66.1 in 2009, and for females, the number rose from 68.7 to 71.2

Dhaka History

The name “Dhaka” is said to come from the dhak tree that was once plentiful in the area, while others believe the name comes from Dhakeshwari, or The Hidden Goddess, to whom a shrine is built. While the history of the area can be traced back to the 1st century, evidence shows that the area wasn’t settled until around the 7th century. Turkish and Afghan governors ruled the city until the Mughals arrived in 1608 and pronounced it the capital of Bengal.

As townships developed in the area, there was significant population growth. During the 17th century under the rule of Shaista Khan, the population of the city was close to one million. In 1765, control of the city was handed to the British East India Company. During British rule, schools, townships, and public works were developed, as well as a municipal water system in 1874 and electricity supply in 1878.

Dhaka was named as the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam following the Partition of Bengal in 1905. However, Bengal united again in 1911. During the partition of India in 1947, Dhaka was named as the capital of East Bengal as part of Pakistan, which led to an increase in population as hundreds of thousands of Muslim immigrants flooded in. Following the Bhola cyclone in 1970, the country of Bangladesh declared its independence, and after India fell in Operation Searchlight, Bangladesh and its cities – including Dhaka – became independent.

Dhaka is known worldwide as the City of Mosques, as there are hundreds of mosques that have been built in the city. The city is also considered the industrial and commercial center of Bangladesh with its trade in such goods as jute, rice, sugar, and tea, as well as for its thriving textile industry. Dhaka also has a rich cultural history, which can be seen through the modern National Museum or historic sites including Lal Bagh Fort.

Dhaka Population Growth

Migration from rural areas of the country to urban Dhaka is an active contributor to the population growth. This rural migration accounted for 60% population growth throughout the 1960s and 1970s. While this growth has slowed since that time, Dhaka continues to show steady growth, with estimates placing the 2020 population at almost 21 million, while 2030 may see as many as 27.3 million residents. The fast-growing population has already put tremendous stress on the city, as evidenced by its high rates of poverty, and future concerns include increasing congestion, a higher percentage of unemployment and inadequate infrastructure.

Country
Bangladesh
Growth Rate
3.13%

86 Rows

Year
Population
203531,233,700
203430,626,800
203330,005,900
203229,373,200
203128,729,800
203028,075,700
202927,411,800
202826,738,200
202726,054,300
202625,359,100
202524,652,900
202423,935,700
202323,209,600
202222,478,100
202121,741,100
202021,005,900
201920,283,600
201819,578,400
201718,894,400
201618,234,200
201517,597,200
201416,982,400
201316,389,000
201215,816,400
201115,263,800
201014,730,500
200914,215,900
200813,719,900
200713,239,900
200612,777,300
200512,330,900
200411,900,600
200311,484,300
200211,083,100
200110,695,800
200010,284,900
19999,860,440
19989,454,000
19979,064,320
19968,691,200
19958,332,470
19947,989,020
19937,659,720
19927,344,420
19917,041,280
19906,620,700
19896,171,740
19885,753,780
19875,363,080
19864,999,400
19854,660,380
19844,344,780
19834,049,760
19823,775,140
19813,519,140
19803,265,660
19793,023,100
19782,798,840
19772,591,230
19762,399,270
19752,221,060
19742,056,300
19731,871,170
19721,688,250
19711,522,780
19701,373,720
19691,239,250
19681,118,100
19671,008,520
1966909,796
1965820,740
1964740,506
1963667,926
1962602,546
1961543,565
1960507,921
1959486,331
1958465,687
1957445,919
1956427,016
1955408,866
1954391,510
1953374,891
1952358,999
1951343,740
1950335,760

86 Rows

Year
Population
Change
Growth
1950335,7600%0
1951343,7402.38%7,980
1952358,9994.44%15,259
1953374,8914.43%15,892
1954391,5104.43%16,619
1955408,8664.43%17,356
1956427,0164.44%18,150
1957445,9194.43%18,903
1958465,6874.43%19,768
1959486,3314.43%20,644
1960507,9214.44%21,590
1961543,5657.02%35,644
1962602,54610.85%58,981
1963667,92610.85%65,380
1964740,50610.87%72,580
1965820,74010.84%80,234
1966909,79610.85%89,056
19671,008,52010.85%98,724
19681,118,10010.87%109,580
19691,239,25010.84%121,150
19701,373,72010.85%134,470
19711,522,78010.85%149,060
19721,688,25010.87%165,470
19731,871,17010.83%182,920
19742,056,3009.89%185,130
19752,221,0608.01%164,760
19762,399,2708.02%178,210
19772,591,2308%191,960
19782,798,8408.01%207,610
19793,023,1008.01%224,260
19803,265,6608.02%242,560
19813,519,1407.76%253,480
19823,775,1407.27%256,000
19834,049,7607.27%274,620
19844,344,7807.28%295,020
19854,660,3807.26%315,600
19864,999,4007.27%339,020
19875,363,0807.27%363,680
19885,753,7807.28%390,700
19896,171,7407.26%417,960
19906,620,7007.27%448,960
19917,041,2806.35%420,580
19927,344,4204.31%303,140
19937,659,7204.29%315,300
19947,989,0204.3%329,300
19958,332,4704.3%343,450
19968,691,2004.31%358,730
19979,064,3204.29%373,120
19989,454,0004.3%389,680
19999,860,4404.3%406,440
200010,284,9004.3%424,460
200110,695,8004%410,900
200211,083,1003.62%387,300
200311,484,3003.62%401,200
200411,900,6003.62%416,300
200512,330,9003.62%430,300
200612,777,3003.62%446,400
200713,239,9003.62%462,600
200813,719,9003.63%480,000
200914,215,9003.62%496,000
201014,730,5003.62%514,600
201115,263,8003.62%533,300
201215,816,4003.62%552,600
201316,389,0003.62%572,600
201416,982,4003.62%593,400
201517,597,2003.62%614,800
201618,234,2003.62%637,000
201718,894,4003.62%660,200
201819,578,4003.62%684,000
201920,283,6003.6%705,200
202021,005,9003.56%722,300
202121,741,1003.5%735,200
202222,478,1003.39%737,000
202323,209,6003.25%731,500
202423,935,7003.13%726,100
202524,652,9003%717,200
202625,359,1002.86%706,200
202726,054,3002.74%695,200
202826,738,2002.62%683,900
202927,411,8002.52%673,600
203028,075,7002.42%663,900
203128,729,8002.33%654,100
203229,373,2002.24%643,400
203330,005,9002.15%632,700
203430,626,8002.07%620,900
203531,233,7001.98%606,900

Dhaka Population Data (Urban Area)

Name
2024 Pop.
2024 Growth
Dhaka23,935,7003.13%
Chittagong5,513,6102.49%
Sylhet999,3743.64%
Rajshahi983,7072.26%
Khulna965,4831.09%
Bogra944,8774.31%
Comilla670,7753.13%
Rupganj631,9505.61%
Barisal549,0313.07%
Mymensingh497,5622.23%
Rangpur445,6772.44%

Other Cities in Bangladesh

  1. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics - Dhaka information and statistics

Sources