 |
| Bangladesh Map |
 |
|
|
Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s population of 146 million makes it the seventh largest in the world. The country, surrounded on three sides by India with the stormy Bay of Bengal to the south, is one of the most crowded places on earth. The average population density is 2,600 per square mile.
During the past three decades, Bangladesh has made progress in reducing fertility levels – the average family now has four children instead of 6-8. Still, much remains to be done. As a result of continuing high fertility rates, especially in poor rural areas, the country’s population is young. A full 40% of the entire population is under the age of 24, while one-quarter are adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19.
Girls continue to marry at early ages and many have their first child before they turn 19. Though contraceptive prevalence is on the rise in Bangladesh – 54% of all married women now practice some form of modern family planning – only 30% of married adolescent girls use contraception.
- As a result of the UNF-funded project, the government is now on the verge of enacting a national Youth Policy. The main challenges for the government include:
- Fostering opportunities for young women and men to acquire skills and earn money;
- Providing youth friendly reproductive health information and services;
- Delaying marriage;
- Acquiring life skills; and
- Keeping girls in school
More information and activities on this project >>
|
