Bangladesh's poverty map has changed. Barishal now has the highest percentage of poor people among all divisions, replacing Rangpur at the top.  

In 2016, Barishal ranked fifth in poverty while Rangpur had the highest rate with 47.23 percent of its population classified as poor.

Six years later, in 2022, Rangpur significantly reduced its poverty rate to 25 percent.

In contrast, Barishal's poverty rate rose slightly to 26.6 percent from 26.49 percent, according to the Poverty Map 2022, published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) today.

At the district level, Madaripur recorded the highest poverty rate in the country at 54.4 percent — nearly three times the national average.

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Poverty reduction requires long-term solutions

Noakhali had the lowest poverty rate of 6.1 percent, one-third of the national average, according to the updated map launched at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital's Agargaon.  

The map aims to provide a clearer picture of the country's socioeconomic conditions, helping policymakers and development agencies implement targeted poverty reduction initiatives.

At the upazila level, Dasar in Madaripur had the highest poverty rate of 63.2 percent, while Dhaka's Paltan recorded the lowest of just 1 percent.  

Outside the capital, Double Mooring in Chattogram had the lowest poverty rate of1.1 percent.

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