Preterm birth in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Preterm birth was 488,608 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
488,608
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
6th
of 102 countries
All-time high
520,172
in 2010
All-time low
486,121
in 2017
Years of data
11
2010–2020

Preterm birth in Bangladesh, 2010–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k2010201520202010: 520.2k2011: 506.2k2012: 500.8k2013: 500.7k2014: 497.4k2015: 493.0k2016: 493.8k2017: 486.1k2018: 490.6k2019: 492.4k2020: 488.6k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2020, preterm birth in Bangladesh stood at 488,608.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, preterm birth in Bangladesh peaked at 520,172 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 486,121, in 2017.

That places Bangladesh 6th out of 102 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Preterm birth in Bangladesh, year by year

Annual values for Preterm birth (number) in Bangladesh, 2010 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2010 520,172 —
2011 506,247 -2.7%
2012 500,761 -1.1%
2013 500,690 -0.0%
2014 497,444 -0.6%
2015 492,996 -0.9%
2016 493,761 +0.2%
2017 486,121 -1.5%
2018 490,587 +0.9%
2019 492,423 +0.4%
2020 488,608 -0.8%

Bangladesh compared with similar countries

  • Bangladesh's 488,608 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50,699, 9.6× the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Bangladesh's 488,608 is above the median for South Asia, which is 67,465, 7.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 498,120 486,121 520,172 10
2020s 488,608 488,608 488,608 1

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 3 Nigeria 774,061 compare
  2. 4 China 752,855 compare
  3. 5 Ethiopia 495,880 compare
  4. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 487,473 compare
  5. 8 United States 366,225 compare
  6. 9 Brazil 310,651 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More health data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is preterm birth in Bangladesh?
Preterm birth in Bangladesh was 488,608 in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest preterm birth recorded in Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 520,172 in 2010.
What is the lowest preterm birth recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 486,121 in 2017.
How does Bangladesh rank for preterm birth?
Bangladesh ranks 6th out of 102 countries with data for 2020.
Is preterm birth rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Preterm birth (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

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Preterm birth in Bangladesh. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/preterm-birth-number/bangladesh/

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About this data

Indicator
Preterm birth (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
120 places, 1,320 data points, 2010–2020
Last refreshed