Geog: Poverty and Garment Workers in Bangladesh

• This is study material for Geog - Interconnections Exam Stimulus T1 T4 2025

Poverty in Bangladesh (2000-2016)

• From 2000 to 2016, rural poverty in Bangladesh decreased from 52.3% to 35.2%
• From 2000 to 2016, extreme rural poverty in Bangladesh decreased from 43.8% to 26.7%
• From 2000 to 2016, urban poverty in Bangladesh decreased from 28.4% to 7.7%
• From 2000 to 2016, extreme urban poverty in Bangladesh decreased from 35.1% to 19.3%

Slum Population in Bangladesh (1986-2014)

• In 1986 roughly 2 million people living in slums within Bangladesh
• By 2014, the population living in slums Bangladesh surpassed roughly 8 million

Impact on Garment Workers

• Garment workers often work 14-16 hours per day in most manufacturing countries
• Garment workers typically work 7 days a week
• It is normal for garment workers to work 96 hours per week
• 1,134 garment workers died in the Dhaka textile factory collapse in 2013.
• 114 people were killed in a fire at the Bangladeshi firm Tazreen Fashions in 2013.
• 50 workers died, and another 5,000 were sick due to blasted sand inhalation in denim factories in Turkey.

Average Hourly Apparel Worker Wages (USD)

• Bangladesh: $0.13
• China: $0.44
• Costa Rica: $2.38
• Dominican Republic: $1.62
• El Salvador: $1.38
• Haiti: $0.49
• Honduras: $1.31
• Indonesia: $0.34
• Nicaragua: $0.76
• Vietnam: $0.26

GDP per capita in Bangladesh in USD (2013-2024)

• 2013: 1,030
• 2014: 1,163
• 2015: 1,303
• 2016: 1,458
• 2017: 1,605
• 2018: 1,749
• 2019: 1,905
• 2020: 2,067
• 2021: 2,239
• 2022: 2,426
• 2023: 2,628
• 2024: 2,846

Cost Breakdown of a T-Shirt Made in Bangladesh

• Retail accounts for 59% (€17.00)
• Profit to the brand at 12% (€3.61)
• Material cost is 12% (€3.40)
• Transport costs are 8% (€2.19)
• Intermediary costs 4% (€1.20)
• Profit for the factory in Bangladesh 4% (€1.15)
• Overhead costs 0.9% (€0.27)
• Pay to worker 0.6% (€0.18)

National Child Labour Survey 2022

• Percentage of children aged 5-17 in child labor
• 4.4% in 2013
• 2.7% in 2022
• 0.79 million children in industry
• 0.56 million children in service
• 0.42 million children in agriculture

Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

• The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world (after oil).
• The fashion industry produces 2.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions each year which is 4% of the world's total
• 87% of materials used to make clothing end up in landfill.
• One truckload of textiles is landfilled or burned every second.
• The fashion industry causes 20% of global waste water.
• It takes 2000 gallons of water to make just one pair of jeans.
• 35% of microplastics in oceans are from textiles
• Only 1% of clothes are recycled into new garments.

Bangladesh Export Growth

• Cheap clothes continue to fuel Bangladesh's export growth
• General trend of growth in clothing/accessories and total exports between the years 2001 and 2013