Government and power in Bangladesh
Who leads Bangladesh, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary parliamentary republic.
Who leads Bangladesh?
- Head of state: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh)
- Head of government: Tarique Rahman (Prime Minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh)
- Foreign minister: Khalilur Rahman (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Bangladesh score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 44.5 out of 100 in 2025, 127th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 54.9). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 44.8.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bangladesh score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 49.1 out of 100 in 2025, 165th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 64.9). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 42.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bangladesh score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 43.2 out of 100 in 2025, 130th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 49.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 41.2.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bangladesh score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 39.4 out of 100 in 2025, 161st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 50.3). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 41.9.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bangladesh score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 43.6 out of 100 in 2025, 143rd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 56.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 45.3.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bangladesh score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 28.2 out of 100 in 2025, 154th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 42.3). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 26.3.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Bangladesh's parliament?
Women held 20.9% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2023, 110th highest of 186 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Bangladesh's ministers are women?
Women held 19.0% of ministerial posts in 2025, 109th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Bangladesh spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 8.3% of GDP in 2021.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Bangladesh collect?
Central government tax revenue was 7.6% of GDP in 2021, 120th highest of 127.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Bangladesh spend on the military?
Military spending was 0.8% of GDP in 2025, 122nd highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Bangladesh?
Armed forces personnel numbered 227,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Bangladesh's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 71.6 out of 100 in 2024, 88th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Bangladesh?
56.0% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2019).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Bangladesh use the internet?
53.4% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Bangladesh
Government
- Bangladesh National PortalPublishes information on ministries, government services and official notices.
- Prime Minister's OfficePublishes statements, policy documents and news from the Prime Minister's Office.
Parliament
- Parliament of BangladeshPublishes proceedings, bills, committee reports and the list of sitting members.
Elections
- Bangladesh Election CommissionPublishes voter lists, election schedules, candidate information and official results.
Courts
- Supreme Court of BangladeshPublishes judgments, cause lists and notices of the Appellate and High Court Divisions.
Public audit
- Comptroller and Auditor General of BangladeshPublishes audit reports on government accounts submitted to parliament.
Access to information
- Information CommissionDecides complaints under the Right to Information Act 2009 and publishes its decisions.
Public contracts
- Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) systemNational portal publishing tenders, contract awards and procurement data of public bodies.
- Bangladesh Public Procurement AuthorityPublishes public procurement rules, guidelines and monitoring reports.
Laws and the official gazette
- Laws of Bangladesh (Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division)Publishes the full text of Bangladesh's Acts, ordinances and their amendments.
Government below the national level
- Divisions (8): Divisional commissioner, a civil servant appointed by the national government
- Districts (64): zila parishads: Normally an elected chair and members (chosen indirectly by local councillors); since August 2024 most run by appointed administrators. Deputy commissioner (civil servant) heads district administration.
- Sub-districts (about 495): upazila parishads: Chair and two vice-chairs (one a woman) normally directly elected for five years; removed in August 2024 and replaced by administrators. Upazila nirbahi officer (civil servant) is the chief executive.
- Union parishads (about 4,580, rural) and urban bodies: 12–13 city corporations and about 330 municipalities (pourashavas): Union parishad chair and 12 members (9 ward members plus 3 reserved seats for women) directly elected for five years; urban mayors and councillors directly elected, but replaced by administrators in 2024
How local power works in Bangladesh
Places in Bangladesh
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.