The studies on poverty and academic research, the “urban” has not yet been a significant part of it. Rapid rates of urbanization in Bangladesh is giving rise to increasing living in urban poor settlements. The livelihoods and challenges of these urban populations are unique and diverse. Nonetheless these poor urban settlements remain often invisible and their needs unserved. Thus the impact of unbridled urbanization deepens the scale and severity of urban poverty. In Bangladesh, urban poverty is found to be neglected in reducing poverty discourses such as research, policy and action. Urban poverty reduction will be subsequently important to the ability to meet national goals for poverty reduction that means policy and action must pay more attention to the urban poor.  Urban poverty: Urban poverty is usually defined in two ways: i. as an absolute standard based on a minimum amount of income needed to sustain a healthy and minimally comfortable life, and ii. as a relative standard that is set based on average the standard of living in a nation. Narratives of urban poverty in Bangladesh describe its characteristics, painting destructive pictures that prolong negative public and official perceptions of urban poverty and prevent greater action and commitment to the urban poor. They present images of squalid living conditions in dirty and unhygienic ‘slums’, where residents are exposed to high under- and unemployment and many are engaged in social disorders, such as crime, violence, drug addiction etc.

1. URBAN POVERTY
BANGLADESH
IN
Presented by,
Swarna Dey
Course Name: Sociology of Poverty
Course No: 402
A Presentation on

2. Introduction :
In Bangladesh, urban poverty is found to be neglected in reducing poverty discourses such as research, policy
and action. The impact of unbridled urbanisation deepens the scale and severity of urban poverty. Urban poverty
reduction will be subsequently important to the ability to meet national goals for poverty reduction that means
policy and action must pay more attention to the urban poor.
Urban poverty:
Urban poverty is usually defined in two ways: as an absolute standard based on a minimum amount of income
needed to sustain a healthy and minimally comfortable life, and as a relative standard that is set based on average the
standard of living in a nation.
Bangladesh at a Glance:
• GDP of US $ 111,749,000,000 [MDG Progress 2012]
• Population of 158.5 million [HDR 2015]
• 43.3% of the population live on less than $1 per day [MDG Progress 2012]
• 31.5% of the population lives below the national poverty line (2,122kcal) [MDG Progress 2012]
• 29.9% of the population live in urban areas [HDR 2015]
• Ranks 142 out of 188 on the 2015 Human Development Index [HDR 2015]
URBAN POVERTY

3. Dimensions of
Urban Poverty
Dimensions
Contributing
Factors
Impacts
1. Income
poverty
1.Lack of employment
2.Employment insecurity
3.Unskilled labor
4.Unsound health
1. Inability to get services
2.Lack of housing, land
3.Poor capital
4.Poor health
2. Health
poverty
1.Overcrowded and unhygienic
living environment.
2.Polluted areas
3.Limited and expensive health
facilities
1.Inability to hold a job
2.Inability to earn.
3. Education
poverty
Limited education facilities and
expensive
1.Inability to get a job
2.Inability to earn
3.Poor education
4. Security 1.Tenure insecurity
2.Wage and job insecurity
1.Inability to use house and
land as source of income
2.Physical and mental health
problems
5. Lack of
Empowerment
1.Isolation of communities
2.Lack of information of jobs
Increase the intensity of
Poverty

4. The urban sector in
Bangladesh is
already responsible
for over 65% of the
GDP of the country
(Asian
Development Bank,
2011, City Cluster
Economic
Development:
Bangladesh Case,
Manila, 2010. P. 6)
Household Income
and Expenditure
Survey (2010) of
Bangladesh Bureau of
Statistics, the
incidence of poverty is
31.5% at the national
level, whereas 21.3%
in the urban
areas.During the
period the national
poverty declined from
59% to 42% while
urban poverty reduced
from 45% to 30%.
The national
headcount poverty
ratio fell
progressively from
over 50% in 1991 to
31.5% in 2010.
According to the
Seventh Five-Year
Plan, Bangladesh
looks to cut poverty
in half to 15% by
2020. (UNDP
Bangladesh)
Bangladesh managed
to reduce its poverty
rate—defined as the
percent of the
population living
below $1.90 a day—
from 44.2 percent in
1991 to 18.5 percent
in 2010 although it is
still high at rural level
with 26.4 per cent
while 18.9 per cent
at urban level.
The HIES 2016
also showed
that the
extreme poverty
rate came down
to 12.9 per cent
at national level
with highest
14.9 per cent at
the rural level
while the lowest
7.6 per cent at
the urban level.
Overview of Urban Poverty In Bangladesh
1 2 3 4 5

5. Analyzing the
poverty rate at
division and district
levels, it was found
that the poverty rate
of 31 districts was
below the lowest
poverty line while
the poverty rate of
36 districts was
above the national
poverty rate of 24.3
per cent.
Urban population in
the country will rise
to nearly 102
million by 2050,
which will be 44
percent of the total
population.(BBS)
There is also huge
income disparity in
the cities. For
example, households
with monthly
income below Tk
25,000 constitute
58.4 percent of
households in Dhaka
but they enjoy an
income share of only
21 percent .(Daily
Star)
Urban population
in Bangladesh will
rise to between
91m and 102 m by
2050, which will
be 44% of total
population(Dhaka
tribune, 25, 2016)
Overview of Urban Poverty In Bangladesh(Cont.)
6 87 9

6. Urban Poverty different
dimensions of
measurements
Percentage
s (%)
/Rates
Year
Percentage
s (%)
/Rates
Year
Poverty head count
rates (%)
Upper poverty lines 35.2 2000 28.4 2005
Lower poverty lines 19.9 2000 14.6 2005
Depth and severity of
poverty
Poverty gap 9.0 2000 6.5 2005
Squared poverty gap 3.3 2000 2.1 2005
Mean Real 2005 per
capita monthly
consumption
Cumulative
change (%)
4.8 - - -
Average annual
growth (%)
0.9 - - -
Gini index of per capita
expenditure
0.37 2000 0.35 2005
Recent Trend in urban poverty In Bangladesh
Source : BBS, Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2005

7. 1
3
4
7
6
5
13
12
11
10
9
8
2
14
Unequal distribution of
Income
Over Population
Livelihood issues and
Financial crisis
Migration from Rural to
Urban
Urbanization
Slow Job Growth
Illiteracy
War and other armed
conflicts
Social Barriers
Droughts and floods
Unbalanced Economy
Causes of Urban poverty
Incompetent
Infrastructure
Degraded Environment
Improper training

8. URBANIZATION , MIGRATION
AND URBAN POVERTY
Level of Urbanization in Bangladesh (2011):
According to the 1991 census estimate, 22% of the country's population
is urban.
Nearly 50 % of the national urban population happens to be concentrated
four metropolitan cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi.
Note: In the UNDP 2015 projection Dhaka with 21.1 millions is
considered as the fourth megalopolis of the planet, after Tokyo and
Mumbai.
Urban Migration and Population Growth in Dhaka
City :
The rural poor migrate to Urban area due to some push and pull factors.
The push factors include over-population, floods and natural disasters,
river erosion, growing landlessness and exploitation by the rural elites and
moneylenders. Pull factors are mainly employment opportunities in the
informal sectors of the economy, better opportunities in the city and
relative freedom for female workers. But unfortunately ended up in mostly
slum areas and live marginalized life.

9. Trends in Poverty and Squared Poverty Gap by Division In Bangladesh
and
The Trend of Change of Poverty in Rural & Urban Area

10. • There are 9 million urban poor people at present. Incidence of extreme poverty was found to be only 7.7% in 2010,
indicating a total number of extreme poor in urban areas to be only around 4 million in 2010. (Islam, N. 2015).
• The national poverty survey, 21.3% of the urban population are either poor or extreme poor. The urban poor,
especially women and children, often suffer from malnutrition resulting in stunted growth, weakening of the
immune system, mental impairment and, in some cases, early death.
• The number of urban poor in Bangladesh rose about 33 percent to eight million between 1992 and 2010 (the World
Bank ).
• Estimated 82% of the residents have access to safe drinking water more than 6 million people in urban areas remain
without access to safe water.
• According to National Sanitation Strategy, about 40% of the households have to resort to open defecation or use
unsanitary hanging latrines. Only 25% of urban households live in dwellings with a permanent structure.
• Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey and Bangladesh Urban Health Survey 2013 data, infant mortality
rate in urban poor areas is 49 per thousand, as opposed to 43 in rural areas, while malnutrition rate is 49.6% as
opposed to 42.7% in rural areas.
URBAN POOR AND URBUN POVERTY

11. Present Problematic Conditions of Urban Poor
Full Dependency on Cash Income
• Challenges to Entry in Labor Market
• Low Skill-levels, Qualifications & Experiences
• Strong Focus Only on Garment Sectors &
Microcredit
• Limited Opportunities
Economic
livelihood
Health
Landlords Problems
•Poor Housing Condition
• Flood Prone
• Poor Drainage Capacity
• Poor Sanitation
• Unsafe Drinking Water
Low Expenditure on Healthcare
• Bad health & Chronic Conditions
• Nutrition’s problem
• Low Health Access
• Low Hospital Services
Living
Environments
• Complex Urban Political Economy
• Social & Political Exclusion
• Integration into Governance
• Problems in Municipal Levels
• Improper Evaluation
• Small Business
• Household Worker
• Inflation
• Over Expense
• Female Employment
• Load Undertake
• Profitability of Small
Business
• Savings Rate
• Tax Ratio
• Unwanted Payments
Economic
livelihood
Economic
livelihood
Social and
political status

12. An Urban slum as an area that combines to various extents the following characteristics: inadequate access to safe water;
inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure; poor structural quality of housing; overcrowding; and insecure
residential status. To these one might add the low socioeconomic status of its residents.
The people of urban slums are urban poor. The urban poor tend to be far more heterogeneous in terms of gender, occupation, caste,
age and other social characteristics. Many of the jobs the urban poor are engaged in are labor intensive, negatively affecting health
conditions, and not more than earning daily wages and having less growth potentials. Therefore, the urban poor are still in a difficult
situation to escape poverty.
URBAN SLUM AND URBAN POVERTY

13. Dhaka is the second fastest
growing megacity in the world
.62% of the urban population
dwelling in the poverty of slums
in 2009 (World Bank)
One of the main reasons of growth
in urban slum population is rural-
urban migration. Dhaka slum
people generally came from
elsewhere in the city (48 per cent),
rural areas (34 per cent) and other
cities and towns (17 per cent).
One of the main reasons of growth
in urban slum population is rural-
urban migration. Dhaka slum
people generally came from
elsewhere in the city (48 per cent),
rural areas (34 per cent) and other
cities and towns (17 per cent).
In the 2013 Bangladesh Slum
Survey, 60 per cent of slum-
dwellers reported that they had
faced at least one type of shock in
the preceding years comparedThe 2013 Bangladesh Slum
Survey found that 22 per cent the
urban slum-dwelling workforce
was under-15 years old
SITUATION OF URBAN POOR IN URBAN SLUMS

14. 1.Social and political exclusion: As we have seen, the drivers of urban poverty are deeply embedded in the social and political
processes that limited the access of low-income residents to better incomes, assets, services and employment opportunities. The
complex urban political economy is amongst the biggest obstacles facing the urban poor. It fuels their social and political exclusion,
leaving vast segments marginalised from local politics and formal decision-making processes.
2.Employment : The unemployment rate for the poor is almost double that of the non-poor. In addition, there is the issue of
underemployment, which affects approximately 20% of households .Child labour is prevalent, with approximately 20% of all
children between ages of 5-14 working.
3.Shelter for the Poor: Secure shelter is noted as a major challenge for Dhaka‟s urban poor. As migrants pour into the city, they
often settle in illegal settlements on marginal pieces of land which pose significant environmental concerns. Often slums are presided
over by middlemen, also calledmusclemen‟ or ‘mastaans’who offer high prices for pieces of land and use illegal methods.
4.Services for the Poor: Access to basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, health and education by the poor is very
limited” he constant threat of eviction acts to prevent agencies from investing in infrastructure for health, education, water and
sanitation services. This is a serious barrier to effective service provision .
5.Crime and Violence in Dhaka’s Slums: This is a major issue in Dhaka which particularly affects the poor. It poses significant
costs to the city in terms of the “judicial system, health care, foregone earnings, costs on private security, loss of competitiveness, loss
of jobs and productivity”.
Impacts of Urban poverty in livelihood

15. 6.Sanitation:A small proportion of the urban poor (20%) use sanitary latrines and the majority still use a variety of non-hygienic
latrines. (Centre for Urban Studies, Survey of Slums and Squatters in Dhaka City (Dhaka, CUS, 1996)) And a very small proportion
(12.4%) of these poor households has access to the underground drainage system.(Siddiqui,Qadir, Alamgir and S. Haq 1993).
7.Income inequality and poverty :Urbanization generates growth in the economy, it also creates great inequality of income
within urban population.
8.Encroachment on productive agricultural land and forest:Population increase, growth of income , lack of planning and
development control are resulting rapid conversion of agricultural productive land to urban use.
9.Social consequences :Negative social consequences increase in crime and violence, drug trafficking and addition, corruption and
prostitution.
10.Political consequences: Low-income families are disconnected from urban or national political issues and are unable to
organise themselves to influence decision-making.
Cont..

16. 11.Existing Housing Problem :The statistical survey conducted in 1995 found that 16% of the poor were owners; 56% were
tenants; 8% were rent free dwellers and nearly 20% were squatters of illegal occupants.
12.Slums : One of the main reasons of growth in urban slum population is rural-urban migration. Dhaka slum people generally came
from elsewhere in the city (48 per cent), rural areas (34 per cent) and other cities and towns (17 per cent).
13.Electricity : The study shows that 67% use electricity and another 33% still have no access to electricity.
14.Education : Though theoretically the urban poor have equal access to the public health facilities in the city, in reality very little a
available to them.125 They are the most deprived groups in the city as they have very limited access to the existing educational
opportunities.
15.Neglected Urban Issues :There is as yet no integrated, comprehensive, and effective effort to overcome the urbanization crisis
facing Bangladesh.Urbanization efforts so far remain ad hoc, isolated, and partial in nature. There is a lack of vision and integrated
effort in resolving the.
Cont..

17. Government Policy and Actions for Poverty Reduction
8642
National
Development
Plan and
Poverty
Reduction
Strategy
1
0
Promotion of
Private Investment
Human Resource
Development-
Education, Health
and
Medical Care
Elimination
of Gender
Gap
Microfinance
Creating
opportunities
for Employment
Strengthening
Safety Net
Urban and Rural
Infrastructure
Development
Development
Cooperation
for Poverty
Reduction by
Private Civil
Societies
Major
Donors’
Assistance
Strategy for
Poverty
Reduction
Initiatives for
preventing
natural
disasters

18. Recommendations:
• Government Action
• Social Norms
• Household Strengths
• Economical Empowerment
• Basic Needs
• Reducing Corruptions
• Properly Planned Infrastructure
• Connection Bridge Between Urban & Rural
• Breaking Pyramid Scheme
• Geo-Political Empowerment

19. Conclusion :
Bangladesh has made extraordinary developments since the time of its
independence in 1971. Once dismissively called a “basket case” due to rampant
poverty, it is described now as “the land of impossible attainment:” it moves up
regardless of hurdles.It will need to maintain growth in income,should cater more
aggressively to the skills development of its growing youth population to fully
harness the “demographic opportunity” resulting from the falling fertility rates.
Bangladesh can make better use of its vast social safety net expenditures. Through
these strategy of equal access, the Government will inject a significant sum of cash
into the hands of poor and vulnerable urban residents. This, in turn, will provide an
important economic stimulus in urban areas, which will further reduce poverty and
create a more dynamic business environment.

20. References:
1. UPPR-Report-2016
2. BBS
3. Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2005
4. Bangladesh: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper ,FY 2009-11
5. http://bids.org.bd/uploads/publication/BDS/35/35-3/02_Spatial%20Dimentions%20Income.pdf
6. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IDA/Resources/IDA-Bangladesh.pdf
7. http://www.carebangladesh.org/shouhardoII/reportStory/files_2014052920786.pdf
8. http://www.cpd.org.bd/downloads/IRBD/INT03-02.pdf
9. http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd/bitstream/handle/10361/529/Vol.2%20No.1.4.pdf?sequence=1
10. http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Projects/UPPR/UNDP_BD_UPPR_ProgressReport_2014.pdf
11. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0956247811417794
12. http://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/2864/download/40511
13. https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/21606/8/02whole.pdf
14. https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/47286302/j.1759-5436.2009.00003.x20160716-6246-
cbdnrp.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1524158378&Signature=cXZhzoqpJf9F6%2FsuVSbGvvE8%2
FQQ%3D&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3DImagining_the_Future_Children_Education.pdf
15. http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%205.1%20Rapid%20Urban%20Growth%20and%20Poverty%20final.pdf?q=dhaka
16. https://www.asiaticsociety.org.bd/journal/10ShahadatHossain.pdf
17. http://econdse.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1.-Dhaka-Survey.pdf
18. http://www.chronicpoverty.org/uploads/publication_files/WP193%20Davis.pdf