Publication

Project Report: 2013-35

Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to a range of potential natural disasters due to its: i) unique geographic situation—80% of the country’s 140,000 km2 are eᴀectively Ḁoodplains of major river systems (Hopson and Webster, 2010) and much of the country is less than10 meters above sea level; ii) very high annual levels of rainfall—mean annual rainfall is approximately 2300 mm (World Bank 2012a); iii) high density of human population (approximately 150 million inhabitants); iv) high population density and growth of density—1142 people/km2 of land (World Bank 2012b); and v) poverty—GDP/capita for 2011 was US$735 (World Bank 2012b). This population is bolstered by inḀuxes of migrant workers into southern Bangladesh that coincide with two storm seasons.Given this inherent vulnerability in a number of areas, Bangladesh also faces a number of diᴀerent types of natural disasters.