The Religious Landscape of Bangladesh: A Primer

Bangladesh hosts religious minorities that reflect the diverse faith traditions that have been influential in the historical region of Bengal over the millennia. Hindus, at 9.1 percent of the national population, are Bangladesh’s largest religious minority, though the Hindu population has declined significantly over the past 60 years since Partition (see figure 4). Buddhist communities, concentrated mainly in the Chittagong region, make up another 0.5 percent. Christians, from a range of denominations, live throughout the country and though they constitute a mere 0.2 percent of the population they have had a large influence on development in Bangladesh since independence. Animists, Baha’is, Sikhs, and Jains also have a presence in Bangladesh, though the communities are small. The Religious Landscape of Bangladesh: A Primer