As per the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Madaripur is currently the most impoverished district in the nation. In this area, 54.4 percent of residents exist beneath the poverty threshold. This indicates that almost 54 percent of the inhabitants earn less than BDT 262.

The poverty level in the Dasar Upazila is 63.2 percent, the highest among the nation's upazilas. Furthermore, in all the other upazilas of Madaripur, the rate of poverty exceeds 50 percent. The national poverty rate is 19.2 percent.

These results were emphasized in the BBS report titled "Poverty Map of Bangladesh 2022." The report was unveiled yesterday (January 30) at the BICC conference venue in the capital. The main guest at the publishing event was Md Mahbub Hossain, secretary of the Statistics and Information Management Division. The distinguished visitor was Simon Loson Parchment, deputy director of the World Food Programme. Md Mizanur Rahman, the director general of the BBS, led the gathering. Representatives from multiple ministries, departments, agencies, the UN, development organizations, universities, and research institutions participated in the event.

The BBS reports that Noakhali district has the lowest poverty rate, at 6.1 percent. The upazila with the lowest poverty rate in this district is Begumganj, at just 2.5 percent. Nevertheless, among the upazilas beyond Dhaka, the one with the lowest poverty rate is Double Mooring in Chittagong, at 1.1 percent.

Regarding divisions, Barisal records the highest poverty rate. In that location, the rate of poverty stands at 26.6 percent.

Nonetheless, numerous economists have questioned the reliability of the BBS statistics. As per their statement, over the last fifteen years of the Awami League in power, a significant portion of development efforts targeted regions near Madaripur. This was expected to greatly influence the local quality of life. Nevertheless, if the development initiatives do not align with the local community's requirements, they may have a contrasting impact.

Numerous individuals have expressed worries regarding the accuracy of the data utilized in these statistics.

Fahmida Khatun, the Executive Director of the private research institute Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), stated to Bonik Barta, "Madaripur has been among the districts prioritized by the government. However, I lack a clear and reasonable explanation for why it is said to have high poverty levels. Typically, poverty levels are elevated in the northern and southern areas, which are susceptible to natural calamities. A scarcity of employment options in Madaripur could be a contributing factor, but the information requires more analysis.

According to the BBS, poverty is still higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The poverty rate in rural areas is 20.3 percent, compared to 16.5 percent in urban areas.

In the Dhaka division, after Madaripur, the district with the second highest poverty rate is Narsingdi. The poverty rate there is 43.7 percent, and in the Belabo upazila of Narsingdi, it is 49.5 percent.

The BBS report highlights the economic challenges faced by the country's large population and the significant economic disparity between rich and poor areas, including Dhaka and the rest of the country.

Previously, the poorest area in the country was Rajibpur Upazila in Kurigram. This year, the poverty rate there has decreased to 38.5 percent.

The poverty map was developed by examining 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey data. The World Bank and the World Food Programme offered technical assistance. The map indicates that Kamrangirchar is the least affluent locale among the police precincts in the capital. In this region, 19.1 percent of individuals reside below the poverty threshold.

The region with the lowest poverty rate is Paltan, which has just 1 percent. The poverty level in Dhanmondi is 1.5 percent, while in the affluent region of Gulshan, it reaches 3.2 percent.

The poverty percentages in various regions are as follows: Mohammadpur is at 4.6 percent, Rampura is at 6.3 percent, Badda is at 7.4 percent, Banani is at 11.3 percent, and Mirpur is at 12.9 percent.

The total poverty rate in Dhaka, which also includes various police precincts and upazilas beyond the city corporation, is 19.6 percent.

Nonetheless, concerns exist regarding the reliability of this report, as stated by Professor Dr. AK Enamul Haque, Director of the private research entity Economic Research Group (ERG). He informed Bonik Barta, "This report utilized data from the division level, while earlier, data was gathered at the district level. Therefore, there are doubts regarding the precision of calculating upazila data from division-level statistics. The poverty level in Madaripur might be elevated because of river erosion. Nevertheless, the regions most impacted by salinity in coastal areas ought to exhibit elevated poverty levels. Due to these discrepancies in the data, I don't give much significance to this BBS report."