Bangladesh’s recent achievements stand in marked contrast to its negative external image (Lewis 2011).
While it remains widely perceived as a ‘basket case’ – wracked by floods and cyclones, mired in poverty and
hunger, corrupt and unstable – it has experienced more than 6 per cent economic growth per annum for 15
years; extreme poverty (people living below the lower poverty line) has declined from 41 percent to 17
percent from 1991 to 20101
; life expectancy at birth is now 66.7 years; and, the country will achieve many of
the Millennium Development Goals. It is a moderate Islamic country which has experienced three peaceful
changes of government since it became democratic in 1990. Surprisingly, given the challenges women still
face in Bangladesh, it is one of the few low-income countries to make good progress in reducing maternal
mortality and girls’ enrolment in high school now matches that of boys (GED, 2011). The country does face
enormous environmental, political, economic and social challenges but given its starting point in 1971 – civil
war and famine, pervasive poverty and deprivation, total dependence on foreign aid, a destroyed
infrastructure and the elimination of its educated people – recent performance is outstanding.