To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of UK-Bangladesh relations.
Answered on
30 January 2023
The UK was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh's independence in 1971, and we celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations in February 2022. The breadth of the UK-Bangladesh partnership has matured over the last 50 years, and includes trade and investment, defence and security, people-to-people links and cooperation on Rohingya and climate. Bangladesh is a key trading partner, with UK-Bangladesh trade totalling $4.5 billion per year. Bangladesh is an economic and development success story, with an average of 6% GDP growth over the last two decades. In 2021, the UK provided £87.2 million of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Bangladesh, which contributed towards the Sustainable Development Goals including on humanitarian preparedness and response, women and girls, climate and governance. As Bangladesh works towards graduation from Least Developed Country status in 2026, the UK is proud to stand as a close partner, strengthening ties and building on our shared interests.