The demographic dividend that has been created in Bangladesh has produced a large working-age population that will need adequate education to support a modernizing economy.

A demographic dividend is a period in which a proportionally large working-age population results from the rapid fall in birth rates. In Bangladesh, this phenomenon has been occurring since the 1970s. The large working-age population implies that if decent employment opportunities are available, the country can be more productive collectively, as more people contribute to overall economic activity.

Key Messages
A demographic dividend is a period in which a proportionally large working-age population results from the rapid fall in birth rates. In Bangladesh, this phenomenon has been occurring since the 1970s. The large working-age population implies that if decent employment opportunities are available, the country can be more productive collectively, as more people contribute to overall economic activity.
Skills and education are immediate concerns because the imperatives of economic diversification and moving up the value chain will require higher levels of education and more and different skills.
The “demographic dividend” has created a proportionately very large working-age cohort, the majority of whom are in school, implying that the educational system will have to be up to par to produce a labor force that is able to support a modernized economy for decades to come.
Linkages between employers and most technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions are limited, leading to little responsiveness of TVET to job market demands.
TVET could be an important element of Bangladesh’s future economic development and could be made a central focus of its education system as a way to prepare for rapid industrialization.
This brief is a copublication of ADB and the International Labour Organization Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.