Climate Change Overview

Country Summary

This page presents high-level information for Bangladesh's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter).  Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Bangladesh's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.

The majority of Bangladesh’s land area is a low-lying river delta, formed by the sedimentary deposits of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna Rivers, which flow from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The country consists mostly of low-lying and flat land with a network of more than 230 major rivers as well as thousands of tributaries and canals. As of 2019, Bangladesh had a population of approximately 163 million people, with one of the highest population densities in the world. The largest contributor to Bangladesh’s GDP is its services sector, at 56.5%, whilst agriculture contributes 14.2%. However, agriculture remains the largest employer, occupying 37.7% of the workforce (2020).

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change is the coordinating agency of Bangladesh’s Central Government on all matters related to the environment and it sets the climate change strategy for the country. The government developed the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) in 2009 to respond to climate change-induced development risks. Bangladesh ratified the Paris Agreement and its initial Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) on September 21, 2016 and an updated NDC 2020 on December 31, 2020. Bangladesh’s Third National Communication to the UNFCCC (NC3) (2018) identifies the impacts of climate change in key sectors such as agriculture, water resources, coastal erosion, and human health as priority concerns.