Child Equity Atlas - BIDS

Population Distribution and Demographic Situation
2.4 Population Under Five
2.4.1 The population of children under five years
reduced in the country from 13.0 to 10.5 per cent
between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses. While the
proportions of child population below five and
below 18 have decreased between 2001 and 2011,
the proportion of women of child bearing age (15-
49 years) has however, marginally increased from
51.0 per cent to 53.4 per cent during the same
period. By districts, the highest and lowest with
regard to proportion of children under five years
varies from 14.4 per cent in Sunamganj to 8.3 per
cent in Dhaka, presented in Table 2.3.
Srl.
Table 2.3: Proportion of children below
5 years: Lowest and highest districts,
Bangladesh 2011
Lowest districts
Highest districts
District % District %
1. Dhaka 8.3 Sunamganj 14.4
2.
Joypurhat,
Rajshahi
8.4 Brahmanbaria 13.7
3. Khulna 8.5
Cox’s Bazar,
Habiganj
13.3
4.
Meherpur,
Satkhira
8.6 Bandarban 13.2
5. Naogaon 8.7 Kishoregonj 12.8
Bangladesh: 10.5%
2.5 Female Teenage Marriage
2.5.1 The proportion of females aged 15-19
years who are married declined by five percentage
points in 10 years, from 37.5 per cent in 2001 to
32.5 per cent in 2011. District-wise disparity in
female teenage marriage population for 2001 is
presented in Map 2.6. The 2011 data (Figure 2.2)
shows the divisional prevalence of the female
teenage married population in Bangladesh, which
at district level varies from the highest at 53.7 per
cent in Meherpur to the lowest of 13.5 per cent
in Sylhet (Table 2.4). Nationally, almost one-third
of the females in the country are married by their
teens, a proportion that is one of the highest in
the world. The female teenage married population
significantly varied between different regions,
from 42.8 per cent in Rajshahi Division to 15.9 per
cent in Sylhet division (Figure 2.2).
Table 2.4: Proportion of female teenage (15-
19 years) married population: Low and high
prevalence districts, Bangladesh 2011
Low prevalence
Srl. districts
High prevalence districts
District % District %
1. Sylhet 13.5 Meherpur 53.7
2. Maulvibazar 15.5 Chapai Nawabganj 48.0
3. Sunamganj 16.4 Kurigram 47.8
4. Chittagong 18.4 Chuadanga 46.7
5. Habiganj 20.5 Bogra 46.4
Bangladesh: 32.5%
Female teenage married (%)
Figure 2.2: Percentage of female teenage
(15-19 years) married population by
administrative divisions, Bangladesh 2011
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
34.6
Barisal
25.2
33.1
Dhaka
40. 8 42.8
Khulna
Rajshahi
38.4
Rangpur
15.9
Sylhet
32.5
2.5.2 The rates are higher in the western part
of the country and lower in the eastern part,
offering possible contexts to understand and deal
with the social norms that underlie this practice,
its variability and socioeconomic impact on girls
and the economy. The district and upazila level
variations (Maps 2.7 and 2.8) of teenage marriage
depicted by the proportion of females married (at
15-19 years) are presented to stimulate policy and
Total
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