According to Bangladesh National Health Accounts (BNHA), the total health
expenditure (THE) in Bangladesh from all sources between 1997 and 2020 was estimated. In 2020, THE was Taka 777 billion, which accounted for 2.8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based on data spanning from 1997 to 2020. In that same year, the government’s health spending amounted to Taka 179.74 billion, which represented 23% of the total health expenditure, or 0.66% of the GDP.
The current estimate for Bangladesh’s healthcare market stands at USD 10 billion, with expectations of it growing to USD 14 billion by the year 2023. This growth indicates a significant expansion in the country’s healthcare sector in the near future.
Private sector is present in all service delivery levels and consists of traditional private pharmacies, private clinics, auxiliary services and private hospitals of all sizes
Annually, approximately 700,000 Bangladeshis travel to India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore seeking high-quality healthcare services, and they collectively spend about USD 19 billion for these services.
Out-of-pocket expenditure makes up 74% of total health expenditure in Bangladesh – among the highest in the world, which is spent largely on medication and outpatient care
Both public and private health facilities are mainly concentrated in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Rangpur with limited availability in other areas. The total number of hospital beds, combining public and private, stands at 0.8 beds per 1,000 people in the country.
Overall insurance penetration is 0.6%, which is one of the lowest among Asian countries.
