Women, elderly worst hit as one-third Bangladeshis fell ill in 2025

One in every three people in Bangladesh experienced some form of illness in the three months leading up to the study period, with women and older adults bearing the heaviest burden, reveals a national survey.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Sunday released the Health and Morbidity Status Survey (HMSS) 2025, one of the most comprehensive health assessments ever conducted in the country. 

The report shows that 33.2.19 per 1,000 people – equivalent to 33 per cent of the population – reported suffering from an illness in the 90 days prior to interview.

Women reported significantly higher morbidity than men: 354.56 per 1,000 women compared with 309.06 per 1,000 men.

The elderly faced the greatest health challenges. Illness rates peaked sharply in the 75-79 age group at 744 per 1,000, while infants under one year had the lowest rate at 232 per 1,000.

Hypertension was the most prevalent condition, affecting 78.28 per 1,000 respondents, followed by peptic ulcers (63.79), diabetes (43.15), arthritis (39.75), and skin diseases (37.23). Heart disease, asthma, osteoporosis, hepatitis, and diarrhoea also featured prominently in the top ten conditions.

The survey, conducted between November and December 2024, covered 47,040 households and gathered data from 189,986 individuals across all eight divisions.

Rising healthcare costs

Average per-person medical expenditure in the three months before the survey reached Tk 2,487. Women incurred higher costs (Tk 2,576) than men (Tk 2,387).

Persistent tobacco use

Among those aged 15 and above, 26.7 per cent used some form of tobacco, with consumption higher in rural areas (27.7 per cent) than urban centres (24.1 per cent).

Maternal health concerns

Of women aged 15-49, 5.2 per cent were pregnant at the time of the survey, and 6.9 per cent had given birth in the preceding year. Worryingly, the national caesarean section rate stood at 49.3 per cent – rising to 53.3 per cent in urban areas. The average cost of delivery was Tk 22,677.

Health experts have described the findings as a wake-up call, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen primary healthcare, tackle non-communicable diseases, reduce high caesarean rates, and address gender and age disparities in health outcomes.

The full HMSS 2025 report is available on the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics website.