CENCUS2011 BANGLADESH 15 - 19 Mar 2011 Bangladesh counts its citizens Bangladesh conducts its fifth census in March, and

concern has been voiced that the count has been preceded by too little publicity to ensure full public participation. One of the problems is the country's distraction with the World Cup Cricket tournament, the dates of which overlap census day in a cricket-mad country. Garment factories have been ordered to shut until the final on Apr 2 so power cuts won't affect the television viewing experience of the country's avid cricket fans. BD News24 reports that the census will be conducted in three phases. The first phase will collect basic information of all households and population, The second phase will check the results of the first. In the third phase. Some 1 per cent of households will receive a long questionnaire, which will ask detailed socioeconomic questions, and the sampling with supplement the information from the main phase. The information will be used to update electoral rolls, and to project food, infrastructure, education and employment needs. The first post-independence census, in 1974, put the population figure at 76,398,000. In 2001, the year of the last census, it was 130,522,000. The present estimate is 150,000,000. Apparel export is the backbone of Bangladesh's economy, accounting for 80 percent of all the country's exports, according to AFP, which reported the government's order for a shutdown of garment factories. The factories employ more than three million workers, mostly women. (WRITTEN Feb 2011) This article is about the demographic features of the population of Bangladesh, including population density, ethnicity, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Demographics of Bangladesh Population: 156,050,883 (July 2009 est.)[1] Growth rate: 1.292% (2009 est.) 24.68sbirths/1,000 Birth rate: population (2009 est.) 8Ldeaths/1,000 Death rate: population (2009 est.) Life 60.25 years expectancy: male: 57.57 years female: 63.03 years (2009 est.) Fertility rate: 2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.) Infant mortality rate: 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.6% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894) 15-64 years: 61.4% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674) 65-over: 4% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio: At birth: Under 15: 15-64 years: 65-over:

1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.) 1.01 male(s)/female 0.9 male(s)/female 0.94 male(s)/female

Nationality: Nationality: noun: Bengali(s) adjective: Bangladeshi Major ethnic: Bengali Minor ethnic: Santhal, Chakma, Garo, Bihari, Oraon, Munda, Rohingya Language: Official: Spoken: Bengali Bengali, Tribal languages and English

Bangladesh is largely ethnically homogeneous. Indeed, its name derives from the Bengali ethno-linguistic group, which comprises 98% of the population. Bengalis, who also predominate in the West Bengal province of India, are one of the most populous ethnic groups in the world. Variations in Bengali culture and language do exist of course. There are many dialects of Bengali spoken throughout the region. The dialect spoken by those in Chittagong and Sylhet are particularly distinctive. In 2009 the population was estimated at 156 million. Religiously, about 90% of Bangladeshis are Muslims and the remainder are mostly Hindus. Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world, excluding a handful of citystates and small countries such as Malta. Most of the demographic statistics below are from the CIA World Fact book, unless otherwise indicated.

On Thursday (7th October), a meeting was held at the NEC Conference room No2 to exchange views with senior journalists and media professionals of the print and electronic media on the programmes and techniques to be undertaken to successfully accomplish the population census to be held in 2011 in Bangladesh . The speakers at the meeting emphasized the aspect that that the media can play an important role in encouraging people to provide accurate information, as the census is a highly significant national programme. Information will be collected from individuals as well as from households and the data will be used to demarcate constituencies, efficiently allocate resources and for formulating development plans The census will prepare a high-tech digital map through aerial photography, and utilized by the enumerators and supervisors for undertaking the census. A three-day training will be imparted to all persons engaged for the census enumeration. All public institutions like places of religious worship including mosques, churches and temple will be utilized to create awareness and inspire the people to give information accurately and promptly On completion of the census, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics will be entrusted with maintaining data on every individual and household of the country and identity number assigned to citizens of the country to utilize it for the census, The funds required will be borne jointly by the government of Bangladesh and agencies such as UNFPA, World Bank and
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our other development partners who will also provide requisite technical la assistance. Strictly speaking, the modern population census began to evolve only in the 17th century, though some form of surveys were taken in ancient Rome,Babylonia, Persia, China and Egypt. England took its first census in 1801 . India's first census was taken in 1871 -72. Regular census enumeration in India and the lands now comprising West Bengal and Bangladesh stared in 1901 and was undertaken every ten years. Bangladesh's first census as an independent nation was held in 1974 and thereafter in 1981,1991, 2001 and now the 2011 census will beheld. The history of modern census taking involves three parallel developments: 1) the invention and gradual spread of the idea of countrywide enumerations for general purposes , 2) the improvement of administrative machinery, techniques and accuracy of enumeration, including legal safeguards assuring that individual answers would be kept in confidence, 3) the deepening and systemization of the types of information obtained .All three development tend to increase the effectiveness of censuses as sources of essential information. The census procedure to be followed in Bangladesh as in other countries , refer to a precisely delimited territory and sub-areas and, for this reason , have been planned and conducted with the aid of detailed maps to be developed by SPARRSO The census aims to enumerate every person within the designated territory . A "de jure " census will tally people according to their regular or legal residence , whereas " de facto" census will allocate them to the place where they will be enumerated - normally where they spend the night of the day enumerated . By either method , the reported territorial distribution is according to where people sleep(night- time population ) rather than where they work( daytime population) . In addition to being precise as to territory, the census will have to be precise as to time; accordingly a specific moment has been selected, on 14th March midnight. This "census moment" then becomes the chronological line separating the included from the excluded .All persons born after the census moment or dying before it are excluded; all others included. The census moment is also the reference point for certain kinds of questions such as age, marital status. The media has an important role to play in making the 2011 census of Bangladesh accurate and of intrinsic value. The media has to create public awareness, and thus instill confidence in both the enumerators and the enumerated for achieving total and accurate information . Features in newspapers, programmes on TV and radio and public performances such as plays , and documentary films will have to educate and enthuse the people about the census . The enumerators engaged in collecting census information have to be monitored by the professionals and media personalities .Also interpretation results by demographers must be reviewed by a professional committee ., which will be useful to policy makers and businessmen., and also the public like to be informed. One feels that regular exchange of ideas between the concerned public agencies, civil society leaders and the media, in the months leading to 14th March, 2011 will improve the census process and also ensure accuracy as well as the interpretative value of the data collected . The News Today will update its readers about the census programmes and comment on various aspects of the census including public awareness campaign and acceptance of the importance of census enumeration, for the utility of the country to progress towards achieving economic, social and political goals, including the MDGs.