Bangladesh
Bangladesh is important to world energy markets because of its large potential natural gas reserves. Bangladesh's location near India, plus southeast Asia, also makes it a potentially important regional energy trading hub.
Note: information contained in this report is the best available as of February 2002 and can change.

GENERAL BACKGROUND
Bangladesh has received more than $30 billion in disbursed grant aid and loans from foreign donors (including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the U.N. Development Program, the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Western Europe) since its independence in 1971, but remains one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world. Bangladesh historically has run a large trade deficit, which it finances largely through foreign aid and remittances from the many Bangladeshi workers abroad (largely in the Persian Gulf region). Overall, foreign aid provides Bangladesh with around 40% of government revenues and 50% of foreign exchange. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has stated that Bangladesh's main problems include civil unrest and political instability, natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure.
Bangladesh is primarily agricultural (around two-thirds of the labor force and 35% of the gross domestic product -- GDP), although urbanization is proceeding rapidly. This heavy reliance on agriculture makes Bangladesh vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, and droughts, as well as to world commodity prices. Over the past several years, however, Bangladesh has experienced bumper crops and strong growth in the agricultural sector.
Bangladesh has moved increasingly towards a market-oriented economy since the mid-1970s, although the majority of enterprises remain under state control. Bangladesh is attempting to diversify its economy away from agriculture, and has made