This article presents a list of cities and towns in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives of Bangladesh, there are 532 urban centres in Bangladesh.

The bureau defines an urban centre with a population of 100,000 or more as a “city”. Altogether, there are 42 such cities in Bangladesh. 11 of these cities can be considered major cities as these are governed by “City Corporations“. All of the “City Corporation”-governed cities currently have a population of more than 200,000 (which is not a criterion for the status). Besides the 11 major cities, there are 31 other cities in Bangladesh that are not governed by “City Corporations”, rather by “Municipal Corporations”. A city with a population of more than 5,000,000 is defined by the bureau as a “megacity“. Dhaka is the only megacity in Bangladesh according to this definition. Together, Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong account for 48% of the country’s urban population.

An urban centre with a population of less than 100,000 is defined as a “town”. In total, there are 490 such towns in Bangladesh.”Paurashava“s in the local Bengali language. Altogether, including the ones governing 31 non-major cities, there are 318 Municipal Corporations.

In addition, there are another 203 towns which are Upazila centres (and other urban centres) and not governed by any Municipal Corporation or “Paurashava”. These are the non-Municipal Corporation or “non-Paurashava” towns.^[2]^[3]

In 1951, Bangladesh was mostly a rural country and only 4% of the population lived in urban centres. The urban population rose to 19% in 1991 and to 26% by 2005. As of 2011, Bangladesh has an urban population of 28%. The rate of urban population growth is estimated at 2.8%. At this growth rate, Bangladesh’s urban population will reach 79 million or 42% of the population by 2035. The urban centers of Bangladesh have a combined area of about 10600 square kilometers, which is 7% of the total area of Bangladesh. As such, Bangladesh has a very high urban population density: 4028 persons per square kilometer (2011), whereas the rural density is significantly lower: 790 persons per square kilometer (2011).^[1] The number of municipalities have tripled from 104 municipalities in 1991 to 318 municipalities in 2011

Most people have a somewhat disparaging image of Bangladesh in their minds – a country that has been devastated by cyclones and floods or one which has been ravaged by poverty and suffers from a lack of development. While it may be true that some of these factors have made news headlines in the past, the truth is that Bangladesh simply cannot be so easily stereotyped.

With large tracts of arable land, even more untamed jungle and bustling cities, Bangladesh is a destination with a difference. There are many destinations in Bangladesh worth seeing.

You may choose to visit some of the many archaeological sites – some of which date back well over 2000 years. Or, if you are a nature lover, you may want to visit the largest mangrove forest in the world. Bangladesh is filled with palaces, beaches, forests and cities. True, the country may have a few problems, but which country doesn’t? A visit to Bangladesh may surpass your every expectation and leave you with many wonderful memories. The only way you can truly know how much you will enjoy the country is to visit it for yourself.

One of the best places to start your travels is in Dhaka. A fairly large city characterized by skyscrapers and suburbia, Dhaka is Bangladesh’s largest city. Dhaka is also known as ‘the City of Mosques and Muslin, so you can be sure there is plenty of sightseeing to be done. Whether your interest lies in the old city or the new, you will likely enjoy touring this stunning city. Other cities definitely worth seeing are Chittagong and Khulna. Every wildlife lover should visit the Sundarbans just outside of the Khulna city limits. Not only is this wilderness area largely untouched by human hands, but the accommodation in the area is sublime and well priced.

So visit one of these lovely destinations in Bangladesh on your very next holiday and open your eyes and mind to a land of culture, heritage, religion and wildlife. You can be sure that it will be quite unlike anything you’ve ever tried before.

Gallery of major cities in Bangladesh

Metropolitan areas

Eight (8) of the aforementioned major cities are also part of eight bigger metropolitan areas. Metropolitan areas can be loosely defined as a major city combined with some of its adjacent municipalities and peri-urban areas. The eight metropolitan areas of Bangladesh are the Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, Gazipur and Rangpur metropolitan areas.

Cities

These are other cities of Bangladesh which are governed by Municipal Corporations .

Rank	City	Area(km²)	Population(2011)	District	Division
1.	Bogra	69.56	540,000	Bogra	Rajshahi Division
2.	Kushtia	42.79	375,149	Kushtia	Khulna Division
3.	Jessore	28.56	237,478	Jessore	Khulna Division
4.	Cox’s Bazar	24.45	223,522	Cox’s Bazar	Chittagong Division
5.	Manikganj	42.28	200,000	Manikganj	Dhaka Division
6.	Brahmanbaria	22.49	193,814	Brahmanbaria	Chittagong Division
6.	Dinajpur	22.00	191,329	Dinajpur	Rangpur Division
8.	Nawabganj	32.09	180,731	Chapai Nawabganj	Rajshahi Division
9.	Tangail	33.80	167,412	Tangail	Dhaka Division
10.	Sirajganj	31.27	167,200	Sirajganj	Rajshahi Division
11.	Chandpur	22	159,021	Chandpur	Chittagong Division
12.	Feni	22.00	156,971	Feni	Chittagong Division
13.	Jamalpur	55.25	150,172	Jamalpur	Mymensingh Division
14.	Naogaon	38.36	150,025	Naogaon	Rajshahi Division
15.	Narsingdi	14.8	146,115	Narsingdi	Dhaka Division
16.	Pabna	27.27	144,442	Pabna	Rajshahi Division
17.	Maijdee	23.79	130,842	Noakhali	Chittagong Division
18.	Faridpur	19.78	122,425	Faridpur	Dhaka Division

List of villages in Bangladesh

Countryside view of Bangladesh. This photo is taken from Jamalpur District.

This is a list of villages in Bangladesh. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town, with a population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Some villages in Bangladesh may be covered in thickets of trees, including bamboo, coconut, date palm, betel nut, mango and jackfruit.^[1] Despite this, “only a small portion of the country’s land surface is covered with forests”

Oskhali

Ververy

West Chunakhali

Gallery of major cities in Bangladesh

Metropolitan areas

Cities

List of villages in Bangladesh

Kennedy Sande