List of cities and towns in Bangladesh

Last updated

This article presents a list of cities and towns in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives of Bangladesh, there are 532 urban centres in Bangladesh. [1] [2]

Contents


The bureau defines an urban centre with a population of 100,000 or more as a "city". Altogether, there are 43 such cities in Bangladesh. 11 of these cities can be considered major cities as these are governed by City Corporations. All of the City Corporation-governed cities currently have a population of more than 200,000, which is not a criterion for the status, because currently 17 cities in Bangladesh have a population of more than 200,000. Besides the 9 major cities, there are 32 other cities in Bangladesh that are not governed by "City Corporations", rather by "Municipal Corporations". A city with a population of more than 10,000,000 is defined by the bureau as a megacity.[ failed verification ] Dhaka is the only megacity in Bangladesh according to this definition. [3] Together, Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong account for 48% of the country's urban population. [4]

An urban centre with a population of less than 100,000 is defined as a "town". In total, there are 490 such towns in Bangladesh. [3] Among these, 287 towns are governed by "Municipal Corporations". These are called "Paurashava"s in the local Bengali language. Altogether, including the ones governing the 32 other non-major cities, there are 318 Municipal Corporations.

In addition, there are another 203 towns which are Upazila centres (and other urban centres) and not governed by any Municipal Corporation or "Paurashava". These are the non-Municipal Corporation or "non-Paurashava" towns. [3] [2]

In 1951, Bangladesh was mostly a rural country and only 4% of the population lived in urban centres. The urban population rose to 20% in 1991 and to 24% by 2001. In 2011, Bangladesh had an urban population of 28% and the rate of urban population growth was estimated at 2.8%. [3] At this growth rate, Bangladesh's urban population would reach 79 million or 42% of the population by 2035. The urban centers of Bangladesh have a combined area of about 10600 square kilometers, which is 7% of the total area of Bangladesh. As such, Bangladesh has a very high urban population density: 4028 persons per square kilometer (2011), whereas the rural density is significantly lower: 790 persons per square kilometer (2011). [1] The number of municipalities tripled from 104 municipalities in 1991 to 318 municipalities in 2011. [4]

Major cities

There are 11 major cities in Bangladesh that are governed by twelve city corporations, which include Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Narayanganj, and Gazipur (which all lie in Greater Dhaka), Chattogram, Khulna, Comilla, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal, Mymensingh.

RankCityArea(km2) [3] Population (2022) [5] [a] DistrictDivisionPhotos
1 Dhaka 30610,295,786 Dhaka Dhaka GulshanDhaka.jpg
2 Chittagong 168.073,230,507 Chittagong Chittagong Chittagong city skyline.jpg
3 Gazipur 3302,677,715 Gazipur Dhaka Aerial View of BSMRAU.png
4 Narayanganj 33.57967,951 Narayanganj Dhaka Skyline in Narayanganj (02).jpg
5 Khulna 45719,557 Khulna Khulna Khulna City View.jpg
6 Bogura 6950000 Bogura Rajshahi [[File:Bogura city
7 Rangpur 69708,570 Rangpur Rangpur Rangpur city highway at night 1.jpg
7 Mymensingh 91.315577,000 Mymensingh Mymensingh shshii lj (02).jpg
9 Rajshahi 120.98553,288 Rajshahi Rajshahi Arial view of rajshahi.jpg
10 Sylhet 58532,839 Sylhet Sylhet Sylhet, by Murshed.jpg
11 Comilla 53440,233 Comilla Chittagong Comilla City (4)-01.jpg
12 Barisal 58419,484 Barisal Barisal Barisal Launch Terninal.jpg


Metropolitan areas

All eleven of the aforementioned major cities are designated as metropolitan areas: Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, Comilla and Mymensingh. Metropolitan areas can be loosely defined as a major city combined with some of its adjacent municipalities and peri-urban areas.

Cities

In addition to the 9 major cities governed by City Corporations, there are many minor cities which are governed by Municipal Corporations (pourashava). Area figures come from the 2011 census or Paurashava websites. Those with populations of over 100,000 (as of 2022 census) are given below: [6]

CityArea (km2)Population (2022)DistrictDivision
Brahmanbaria 20.49264,341 Brahmanbaria Chattogram
Chandpur 26.82203,451 Chandpur
Cox's Bazar 24.45196,385 Cox's Bazar
Feni 22234,357 Feni
Lakshmipur 19.4132,230 Lakshmipur
Chowmuhani 20.70100,065 Noakhali
Maijdee 23.79132,198
Rangamati 64.75106,069 Rangamati
Savar 14.08384,105 Dhaka Dhaka
Faridpur 66.24237,283 Faridpur
Kaliakair 27.16249,111 Gazipur
Sreepur 47.25258,973
Gopalganj 16.9108,523 Gopalganj
Bhairab 15.71156,297 Kishoreganj
Kishoreganj 11.3138,063
Tarabo 19.39197,672 Narayanganj
Ghorashal 26.50101,690 Narsingdi
Narsingdi 20.95180,711
Tangail 29.8212,887 Tangail
Jashore 20.56209,352 Jashore Khulna
Jhenaidah 32.42140,271 Jhenaidah
Kushtia 42.78221,806 Kushtia
Magura 44.36114,249 Magura
Satkhira 32.39138,411 Satkhira
Jamalpur 53.25158,889 Jamalpur Mymensingh
Netrakona 29.40122,299 Netrakona
Sherpur 24.75123,516 Sherpur
Bogura 69.56486,016 Bogura Rajshahi
Chapai Nawabganj 24.70201,005 Chapai Nawabganj
Naogaon 38.36178,649 Naogaon
Pabna 27.27176,005 Pabna
Sirajganj 28.49188,549 Sirajganj
Dinajpur 22.8212,288 Dinajpur Rangpur
Saidpur 30.04143,538 Nilphamari
Thakurgaon 100,462 Thakurgaon

Towns

The following is a list of towns in Bangladesh governed by Municipal Corporations.

DivisionNumberTowns
Dhaka Division 23
Chattogram Division 28
Sylhet Division 20
Khulna Division 24
Barishal Division 23
Mymensingh Division 25
Rajshahi Division 15
Rangpur Division 16

Urban areas by population

Dhaka is by far the largest urban area as well as the largest metropolitan area in Bangladesh. Chittagong is the second largest city and urban area in Bangladesh as well as the second largest metropolitan in Bangladesh.

Khulna is the third largest city and second largest port city of the country after Chittagong. Also, the adjoining areas of Khulna are abided by port-related business, industry, governmental foreign investment, and some well-known mega projects. This city also has a rich history of industrialization through the British period. Khulna has also a significant number of tourism industries centered on the largest mangrove forest of the world, the Sundarbans. Cumilla city is also the third developed city after Khulna and Rajshahi. Cumilla is also marked as an economically stronger city compared to other cities after Dhaka and Chittagong. Cumilla city also got a richer regional economy for remittances and the tourism industry. Rajshahi is also a big city and is known as the educational city of Bangladesh due to its well-marked educational institutions with better results and better educational performances. So we can say that the best 5 cities in Bangladesh are Dhaka, Chittagong, Cumilla, Khulna, and Rajshahi. Other major cities with a stronger economy and developer infrastructure after these five best cities are Sylhet, Bogra, Rangpur, Barishal, Jessore, Kushtia, Feni, Cox's Bazar, Mymenshing, Dinajpur, Pabna, Brahmanbaria, Narsingdi, Bholo, Gopalganj, etc.

The following table shows the largest populated area within a local government area.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divisions of Bangladesh</span> First-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh

Divisions are the first-level administrative divisions in Bangladesh. As of 2024, there are eight divisions of Bangladesh, each named after the major city within its jurisdiction that also serves as the administrative seat of that division. Each division is divided into several districts which are further subdivided into upazilas(sub-districts), then union councils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhaka Division</span> Administrative division of Bangladesh

Dhaka Division is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a population magnet, covers an area of 20,508.8 km2 with a population in excess of 44 million, it is one of the fastest growing populous administrative division of the world, growing at 1.94% rate since prior count, compared with national average of 1.22%. However, national figures may include data skewing expatriation of male labor force as gender ratio is skewed towards females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative geography of Bangladesh</span>

Bangladesh is divided into 8 divisions (bibhag) and 64 districts, although, these have only a limited role in public policy. For the purposes of local government, the country is divided into upazilas (sub-districts), "municipalities" or town councils (pourashova), city corporations and union councils . The diagram below outlines the five tiers of government in Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Bangladesh</span> Overview of Bangladeshi telephone numbers

The country calling code of Bangladesh is +880.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation</span> Bangladeshi transportation agency

Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) is a state-owned transport corporation of Bangladesh. It was established under the Government Ordinance No.7 of 1961 dated 4 February 1961. Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, it assumed its current name. It is responsible for issuing buses and maintaining the public transports in the roads and highway division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Cricket League</span> Bangladeshi Cricket Tournament

The National Cricket League is the oldest domestic first-class cricket competition in Bangladesh. It is contested by teams representing seven of the eight regional divisions of Bangladesh as well as a team from the Dhaka metropolitan area.

The national language and official language of Bangladesh is Bangla according to the third article of the Constitution of Bangladesh. Almost 99% of Bangladeshis speak Bengali as their first language. Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987 made it mandatory to use Bengali in all government affairs except in the cases of foreign relations. According to a 2022 census, Bengali is predominantly spoken by 99% of the country's population and it also serves as the national language of the nation. The indigenous people of northern and southeastern Bangladesh speak a variety of native languages. According to the Ethnologue, there are 36 indigenous living languages, which include 17 Tibeto-Burman, 10 Indo-Aryan, 7 Austroasiatic and 2 Dravidian languages in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has 44 indigenous languages according to Professor Shameem Reza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Bangladesh</span> Country in South Asia

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bangladesh:

The 2001–02 National Football League was the second season of the country's first football league held on a national scale. The league was also known as the Nitol-Tata National Football League due to sponsorship reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Bangladesh</span> Second-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh

The divisions of Bangladesh are further divided into districts or zilas. The headquarters of a district is called the district seat. There are 64 districts in Bangladesh. The districts are further subdivided into 495 subdistricts or upazilas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Technical Education Board</span> Technical education board controlled by the Government of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Technical Education Board is a state regulatory board responsible for monitoring and developing technical and vocational education in the secondary level (SSC), 2-year higher secondary level (HSC/Vocational), 4-year Diploma in Agriculture, 4-year Diploma in Engineering degree and 4-year Diploma in Medical Technology degree throughout the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The board sets the curriculum, develops learning materials, grants affiliation to technical and vocational institutions, governs admissions, conducts examination, and awards diploma certifications.

The Bangladesh Premier League 2016, also known as BPL Season 4 and AKS BPL 2016 was the fourth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the top level professional Twenty20 cricket franchise league in Bangladesh. The competition was organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and featured seven teams. The season originally began on 4 November 2016 and ended on 9 December 2016. However, after the first four matches of the tournament were abandoned due to rain and with more rain forecast, the league opted to restart on 8 November and to replay all of the opening six matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Super League</span> Football league

Bangladesh Super League (BSL) was a planned professional football league, sanctioned by Bangladesh Football Federation, that was meant to represent the sport's highest level in Bangladesh. The league was inaugurated by Bangladesh Football Federation on 18 January 2016. The league was to be contested by eight clubs, with the first season scheduled for 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives</span> Government ministry of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It is responsible for the housing and building, regional and rural policy, municipal and cities administration and finances, and the conduct of elections.

The 2016–17 National Cricket League was the eighteenth edition of the National Cricket League, a first-class cricket competition that was held in Bangladesh. The tournament started on 25 September 2016 and concluded on 6 January 2017. Khulna Division were the defending champions.

The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board or BREB, is government organization in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is responsible for rural electrification. It is the largest power distribution organization in Bangladesh. BREB has brought all the 461 upazilas on grid under 100% electrification. Major General S M Zia-Ul-Azim is the present chairman of the board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League</span> Cricket Tournament

The Bangladesh Premier League 2017, also known as BPL Season 5 or AKS BPL 2017 Powered by Shah Cement, was the fifth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the top level professional Twenty20 cricket franchise league in Bangladesh. The competition was organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and features seven teams from seven different cities. The season began on 4 November, and ended on 12 December 2017, with the defending champion, Dhaka Dynamites played against newbies Sylhet Sixers in the first game at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government agencies in Bangladesh</span>

The Government agencies in Bangladesh are state controlled organizations that act independently to carry out the policies of the Government of Bangladesh. The Government Ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to control agencies by policy decisions. Some of the work of the government is carried out through state enterprises or limited companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League</span> Cricket Tournament

The Bangladesh Premier League 2019–20, also known as BPL Season 7 or Bangabandhu BPL Presented by AKASH DTH and Powered by TVS, was the seventh season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the top level professional Twenty20 cricket league in Bangladesh. The competition was organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The season was scheduled to originally start from 6 December 2019 and end on 11 January 2020, with the opening ceremony to be held on 3 December 2019. Comilla Victorians were the defending champions. However, the tournament was delayed by five days and started on 11 December 2019 and ended on 17 January 2020, with the opening ceremony held on 8 December 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 About Us, Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Local Government, Bangladesh, archived from the original on 9 October 2018, retrieved 9 October 2018
  2. 1 2 Statistical Pocketbook Bangladesh 2017 (PDF), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2018
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Population and Housing Census 2011 - Volume 3: Urban Area Report (PDF), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, August 2014, pp. ix, xi, 24–26, 167
  4. 1 2 Elisa Muzzini; Gabriela Aparicio (11 April 2013), Bangladesh: The Path to Middle-Income Status from an Urban Perspective, World Bank Publications, p. 51
  5. Population and Housing Census 2022: National Report (PDF). Vol. I. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 56.
  6. "Table 01: Household and Population by Type of Dwelling by Paurashava, Union and Location, 2022". Population & Housing Census 2022. District Reports. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 2024.
  1. Population is for City Corporation. For Dhaka, which was split into Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations after 2011, the combined figures for both are given.