Election Commissioner Challenges BBS Population Data, Says Bangladesh Has 19 Crore People

Dhaka: Election Commissioner Tahmida Ahmed has questioned the accuracy of population figures published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), describing the data as “questionable.”

Speaking at a dialogue with civil society representatives in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Saturday (28 September) ahead of the upcoming national election, she said, “At first, they [BBS] published one figure, and later it was said to reduce it.”

According to the Election Commission’s (EC) voter list, the country’s current population is 19 crore, Tahmida said. “We prepared the voter list by visiting households, and that’s how we got the information. This is the accurate data. Our total population is 19 crore, of which 1.51 crore are living abroad. In Dhaka city alone, there are 1.51 crore people,” she explained.

Her statement sharply contrasts with the Population and Housing Census 2022 by BBS, which estimated the country’s population at 16.98 crore.

Tahmida also advocated for open-space polling to ensure transparency in the electoral process. “If you want a transparent election, you must create the mindset for conducting voting in open spaces — that would be a truly transparent election,” she added.