People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the eighth-most populous country in the world. It is about the size of the American state of Iowa and a little larger than the country of Greece. Yet the population of this relatively small country is enormous: about 178 million people, roughly 18 times the population of Greece and 55 times that of Iowa. Its largest city is the capital, Dhaka, and its second-largest city is Chittagong (Chattogram).

For centuries, Bengal was ruled by Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms. Muslim rule began in Bengal in 1204–1205, when the Turkic military leader Bakhtiyar Khalji conquered Nadia and established his authority in Bengal. Mughal rule came much later, beginning in the sixteenth century. British dominance began to take shape after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, when the British East India Company defeated the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies.

India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, but the partition of British India created two countries: India and Pakistan. The eastern part of Bengal, which was overwhelmingly Muslim, became East Bengal (later East Pakistan) and was separated geographically from West Pakistan by more than a thousand miles of Indian territory.

The relationship between East and West Pakistan was increasingly strained by political, economic, linguistic, and cultural differences. In 1971, Bengali nationalists in East Pakistan fought a war of independence against Pakistan. India intervened militarily later that year, and Bangladesh achieved independence on December 16, 1971.

Today Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy governed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Following the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina's government in 2024, Bangladesh was governed for approximately eighteen months by an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. Parliamentary elections were held in February 2026, and the BNP won a sweeping majority. Tarique Rahman became prime minister on February 17, 2026. The BNP currently governs with a very large parliamentary majority, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance forms the principal opposition.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated large countries in the world. The country's population is predominantly Bengali: estimates generally put the Bengali ethnic population at around 98 percent, although there are numerous indigenous ethnic communities, particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and other parts of the country. Bangla (Bengali) is the official and overwhelmingly dominant language, while English remains important in business, higher education, law, and international affairs. A number of indigenous languages are also spoken, several of which are endangered.

Islam is the state religion of Bangladesh. According to the 2022 census, approximately 91 percent of the population is Muslim, 8 percent Hindu, 0.6 percent Buddhist, and 0.3 percent Christian, with the remainder belonging to other religious communities. These figures describe religious identification rather than necessarily the depth or frequency of religious practice. There is some nonreligious and nominally religious population, but reliable figures for this are not available, so it is better not to assign a precise percentage.

Christianity has been present in Bengal since the sixteenth century, arriving initially through the Portuguese. Portuguese merchants established trading communities, and Catholic priests accompanied them to provide pastoral care. But Catholic evangelization soon went beyond chaplaincy. Jesuits and Augustinians undertook organized missionary work, established churches and schools, learned local languages, and sought converts. Jesuit missionaries arrived in Bengal in the 1570s, followed by Augustinian friars in the 1580s. By the end of the sixteenth century, Catholic missions had established a significant presence in Bengal, including in areas that are now part of Bangladesh.

The Augustinians are particularly worth noting. Martin Luther was an Augustinian friar, and Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pope in the history of the Catholic Church.

There is also a small Protestant presence in the country, but it arrived much later, beginning in the late eighteenth century. William Carey and John Thomas, both English Baptists, arrived in Bengal in 1793. They were missionaries rather than employees of the East India Company; indeed, the Company was generally suspicious of missionary activity because it feared that evangelism might disturb political and commercial relations with the population.

Carey eventually established his famous mission at Serampore, which was then under Danish rather than British control. Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward became known as the Serampore Trio. Their work emphasized Bible translation, education, printing, literacy, and the development of Christian communities in the vernacular. Carey and his colleagues made an enormous contribution to the development of Bengali printing and literature.

Other Protestant missionary societies followed, including the London Missionary Society in 1798 and the Church Missionary Society in 1816. Protestant Christianity gradually spread into eastern Bengal, including what is now Bangladesh. Although Protestant Christianity remained a small minority, it eventually produced churches, schools, hospitals, and educational institutions throughout the country. The churches today are small and often beleaguered, but they continue to bear faithful witness to Christ.

Christmas is a public holiday in Bangladesh, despite the overwhelming Muslim majority.

When you talk with your friend from Bangladesh, here are some cultural pointsers which you may find helpful:

1. Political stability and honest government. Pray that Bangladesh's new government will govern justly, resist corruption and political violence, strengthen democratic institutions, and protect the rights of minorities.
2. Don’t get them confused with Indians or Pakistanis. Remember they fought wars of independence against both countries! 
3. March 26 is the day when they declared independence from Pakistan, so congratulate them and ask them how they celebrate this day. 
4. Music is an important cultural element: Make sure to ask them about local songs from their own or region, or if there are any songs they sing to their children or during holidays.