An estimated 11 million people in Bangladesh fell below the national poverty line because of out-of-pocket healthcare payments during the period from 2005 to 2022, according to research jointly conducted by the Health Economics Unit of the health ministry and the World Health Organization’s Bangladesh office. The findings were presented in Dhaka on October 28.
Drawing on nationally representative household surveys from 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2022, the study found that 41.7% of Bangladeshis experienced financial hardship associated with healthcare payments in 2022. Among people in the poorest consumption quintile, the share reached 90.8%. Rural households faced a particularly heavy burden.
The study recommends stronger public health financing, dependable medicines and diagnostic services, better primary care and financial protection for costly hospital treatment. Its historical findings should not be mistaken for a new count of people entering poverty in 2026.
Illustrative photograph.