MigrantoMigration trends in Bangladesh
Asia
Bangladesh loses more people than it takes in: 8.7M emigrants against 2.5M immigrants. Net balance −6.2M — 4% of the country's population
173.6M
Population
2.5M
Immigrants
8.7M
Emigrants
−6.2M
Outflow
1 in 71 residents of Bangladesh was born abroad — and 1 in 21 people born in Bangladesh lives abroad
#7 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Bangladesh
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
741.5K immigrants · 5.1M emigrants
2005
- Malaysia overtook Myanmar as the largest source of new arrivals
2010
- Surge of departures to Malaysia — 264.1K people left
- The foreign-born population passed 1M residents
2015
- Surge of departures to Saudi Arabia — 1.1M people left
- Surge of departures to Oman — 330.7K people left
2020
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 57%
- Surge of immigrants from Myanmar — 670.1K new arrivals
Today
- Saudi Arabia replaced India as the main destination for those leaving
- Since 1990: 1.7M more foreign-born residents and 3.6M more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Ask Migo
Tap a question — our AI assistant answers it in chat, with real migration data
Where to live?
Score countries, regions and cities by what matters to you
Living in Bangladesh
See the full country overview