angladesh Asia's 13th economy

Bangladesh has become the 13th largest economy in Asia and the Pacific region, as ranked by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as per key indicators for the region. The ADB's ranking is based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of the peoples of the countries concerned. In terms of size of gross domestic product (GDP), Bangladesh has exceeded those of Singapore and Hong Kong, two of the fast-growing economies that were highlighted as modern success stories.

The Bangladesh economy has been growing in the recent decades at a faster rate than many others did around the world.

However, being proud of the country's economic progress, let us not forget that per capita GDP of both Singapore and Hong Kong is a few times higher than Bangladesh's. In the region, Bangladesh is lagging behind in terms of social protection measures for the citizens.

Education remains another cause for concern since without raising its quality we will not be able to improve our human resources. For taking the country to the next level of development, we need to strengthen institutions and remove corruption.

Zahidul Islam

Lalmatia, Dhaka