Key data for Bangladesh

NCI5th HRCI30th HANCI15th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 30.8% Wasting: 8.4% Proportion of population underweight: 8.4% Source: Government of Bangladesh (DHS,2018)

Strong Performance

  • The Government encourages varied agricultural research and extension services, and local farmer organisations are involved in setting policy priorities. The extension system is effective and properly reaches out to poor farmers. Government policies, strategies and mechanisms seek to ensure gender equity in access to extension services. This has been the case for an extended period.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Bangladesh’s medium/long term national development policy (Seventh Five Year Plan FY 2016-2020: Accelerating growth, empowering citizens) assigns strong importance to nutrition.
  • Bangladesh instituted a separate budget line for nutrition, enabling transparency and accountability for spending.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • Policymakers in Bangladesh benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2019.
  • The Government has fully enshrined the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into domestic law.
  • The Government of Bangladesh promotes complementary feeding practices.
  • 98.6% of the population of Bangladesh in 2017 has access to an improved drinking water source.
  • In Bangladesh, constitutional protection of the right to social security is strong.

Areas for improvement

  • In Bangladesh, the law does not give women economic rights equal to men. Men and women have equal legal access to agricultural land, but this is not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Weak access to improved sanitation facilities (43% in 2018) obstructs better hunger and nutrition outcomes.
  • In Bangladesh, constitutional protection of the right to food is weak.
  • Social safety nets in Bangladesh are basic and only cover few risks for a limited number of beneficiaries.
  • Civil registration rates are weak (56% in 2019) and potentially hold back children’s access to critical public services such as health and education.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
5.7%201620th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
3%2017Joint 42nd
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Moderate2019Joint 28th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Very Strong20192nd
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
56%2019Joint 30th
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Weak2018Joint 11th
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Weak2016Joint 30th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 28th
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
Not in Law2019Joint 16th
Constitutional right to social security
?
Yes2015Joint 1st

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
79%201817th
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
Yes2015Joint 1st
Population with access to an improved water source
?
98.6%20171st
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
43%201819th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
75.2%201940th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Strong2016-202010th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Fully Enshrined2019Joint 1st