Climate-related migration in Bangladesh

The document analyzes historical census data to demonstrate that areas prone to climate-related hazards in Bangladesh have significantly lower population growth rates, indicating higher out-migration. It projects that an additional 9.6 million people will migrate from affected upazilas by 2050. The authors argue that migration can be an effective adaptation strategy if supported by government interventions, such as employment skills training and sustainable urban planning to prevent migrants from settling in risk-prone city areas.

• Analysis of 2001 census data shows that upazilas affected by 90 per cent inundation during the 1998 flood had absolute and urban corrected population growth rates that were 44 and 76 per cent lower, respectively, than areas with 10 per cent flooding.
• Upazilas most affected by Cyclone Sidr in 2007 exhibited 81 per cent lower absolute population growth rates in 2011 compared to less affected or unaffected areas, while areas affected by riverbank erosion saw a 20 per cent reduction in absolute population growth rates.
• It is projected that 9.6 million additional people will migrate from upazilas affected by inland flooding, storm surges, and riverbank erosion between 2011 and 2050.
• The projected 9.6 million migrants are composed of 5.4 million from inland flooding (of which 316,000 are attributed to climate change alone), 2.3 million from storm surges (of which 405,000 are attributed to climate change alone), and 1.9 million from riverbank erosion.
• The World Bank projects that by 2050, 21.1 million villagers face risk from inland flooding (inundation up to 30cm), and coastal flooding may expose 17 million people to depths greater than 1m and 13.5 million to depths greater than 3m.
• To support migration as a beneficial adaptation strategy, the government should provide employment skills training in stressed regions and ensure urban planning provides safe housing and access to health and education services.

APA

Kniveton, D., Rowhani, P., & Martin, M. (2013). Climate-related migration in Bangladesh. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-3-max-29102013.pdf

Chicago

Kniveton, Dominic, Pedram Rowhani, and Maxmillan Martin. Climate-related migration in Bangladesh. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-3-max-29102013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kniveton |first1=Dominic |last2=Rowhani |first2=Pedram |last3=Martin |first3=Maxmillan |title=Climate-related migration in Bangladesh |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=April 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-3-max-29102013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kniveton2013climaterelated, author = {Kniveton, Dominic and Rowhani, Pedram and Martin, Maxmillan}, title = {{Climate-related migration in Bangladesh}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/PB-3-max-29102013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }