Economy, jobs and prices in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh: official figures
The average household in Sylhet division had a monthly income of Tk 22,861 in 2022, 2nd lowest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: Tk 32,422), and spent Tk 30,402 a month on consumption (Bangladesh: Tk 30,603).
What is the unemployment rate in Sylhet division?
4,001,000 people aged 15 and over in Sylhet division were in work in 2024 and 216,000 were unemployed, an unemployment rate of about 5.1%, the highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 3.7%).
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many workers in Sylhet division have informal jobs?
92.2% of workers in Sylhet division were in informal employment in 2024 (mostly jobs without social security or paid leave), the highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 84.0%); for women the share was 98.6%.
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many young people in Sylhet division are not in work or school?
38.0% of young people aged 15 to 24 in Sylhet division were not in education, employment or training at the 2022 census (54.2% of young women and 19.6% of young men), the highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 34.3%).
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many families in Sylhet division receive remittances?
374,719 households in Sylhet division, about 17.1% of all households, received money from relatives abroad in 2022, 2nd highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 9.8%); 573,185 family members from the division were living abroad, 11.3% of the national total.
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many people in Sylhet division have a bank account?
17.7% of adults in Sylhet division had an account with a bank, insurer, microcredit body or post office in 2022 (Bangladesh: 25.4%), and 29.9% used a mobile banking account (Bangladesh: 39.1%); account ownership is 2nd lowest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions.
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many people in Sylhet division use the internet?
28.1% of people aged 5 and over in Sylhet division used the internet at the 2022 census (35.6% of males, 20.9% of females), 3rd highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 30.7%); 47.6% had a mobile phone of their own (Bangladesh: 55.9%).
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyDo homes in Sylhet division have electricity?
97.8% of households in Sylhet division were connected to the national electricity grid in 2022 and 0.7% relied on solar power; 1.22% had no electricity at all (Bangladesh: 97.6% on the grid, 0.76% without).
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyWhat do households in Sylhet division cook with?
17.2% of households in Sylhet division cooked mainly with piped gas, bottled LP gas, electricity or biogas in 2022, 3rd highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions (Bangladesh: 24.7%); 82.7% still cooked with wood, straw or dung.
Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copyMore figures
- Women made up 35.5% of the employed in Sylhet division in 2024 (Bangladesh: 33.1%), the highest of Bangladesh's 8 divisions. Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics · saved copy
How Sylhet Division compares with other divisions
Average monthly household income (2022)
Sylhet Division ranks 7 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Average monthly household income |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Chattogram Division | Tk 34,054 |
| 3 | Rajshahi Division | Tk 30,398 |
| 4 | Khulna Division | Tk 28,192 |
| 5 | Barishal Division | Tk 25,892 |
| 6 | Mymensingh Division | Tk 24,183 |
| 7 | Sylhet Division | Tk 22,861 |
| 8 | Rangpur Division | Tk 21,674 |
Unemployment rate, age 15+ (2024)
Sylhet Division ranks 1 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate, age 15+ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylhet Division | 5.1% |
| 2 | Chattogram Division | 4.8% |
| 3 | Barishal Division | 4.0% |
| 4 | Khulna Division | 3.9% |
| 5 | Rajshahi Division | 3.6% |
| 6 | Dhaka Division | 3.5% |
| 7 | Rangpur Division | 2.4% |
Internet users, age 5+ (2022)
Sylhet Division ranks 3 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Internet users, age 5+ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhaka Division | 40.4% |
| 2 | Chattogram Division | 37.4% |
| 3 | Sylhet Division | 28.1% |
| 4 | Khulna Division | 27.6% |
| 5 | Barishal Division | 23.7% |
| 6 | Rajshahi Division | 23.4% |
| 7 | Mymensingh Division | 20.2% |
More on Sylhet Division: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · Bangladesh
Sources
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics: Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022, Final Report: Tables 4.5 (income and consumption), 6.4 (poverty), 7.6 (school enrolment), 13.2-13.3 (food insecurity) by division, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4df200a6bfb1…)
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics: Labour Force Survey 2024, final report tables: Tables 6.8.1 (employed), 7.3.2 (informal employment) and 8.7.1 (unemployed) by division, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 072c18ebf9f3…)
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics: Population and Housing Census 2022, National Report (Volume I), Tables 3.2.17-3.2.40 and 3.3.9-3.3.15: disability, literacy, students, NEET, phones, internet, accounts, migration, water, toilets, electricity, cooking fuel, remittances, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1c315d497629…)
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