Distillers Bangladesh
A one-page guide to Bangladesh for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Dhaka
- Official languages
- Bengali
- Currency
- Bangladeshi taka (BDT)
- Time zone
- UTC+6
- Area
- 147,570 km²
People
- Population
- 175.7 million (2025)
- Population growth
- 1.2% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 33.2%
- Aged under 15
- 27.6%
- Aged 65 and over
- 6.7%
- Life expectancy
- 74.9 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$456.3 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$2,597 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 3.49% (2025)
- Inflation
- 8.77% (2025)
Climate
Tropical: mild winter October-March, hot humid summer March-June, monsoon June-October which brings most rain. Floods, cyclones and tidal bores occur almost every year.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Restricted
- Legal drinking age
- 21 (sale; non-Muslims and foreigners; Muslims need a medical prescription/permit)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); World Bank API (population, area, GDP, growth, inflation); WHO GHO OData (SA_0000001688); UN Comtrade public preview API (HS 2208); Wikipedia: Bangladesh; Wikipedia: Legal drinking age; Wikipedia: Alcohol in Bangladesh; Bangladesh Customs - HS 22083000 whiskies tariff (FY2024-25); Bangladesh Customs - HS 22051000 vermouth tariff (FY2024-25). Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.