Bangladesh Lost $24B in 2024 as Extreme Heat Hits Economy

A man loads ice cubes on a cart from an ice factory during a heatwave in Dhaka on 24 April 2024.

Bangladesh suffered an estimated $24 billion loss in labour productivity in 2024 due to extreme heat, according to the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change 2025 report, highlighting the growing public health and economic crisis caused by climate change.

The report shows that rising temperatures, worsening air pollution, and surges in vector-borne diseases are threatening the health and livelihoods of millions across the country.

People in Bangladesh experienced an average of 28.8 heatwave days in 2024, of which 13.2 days were attributed to human-induced climate change. Heatwave intensity and duration have sharply increased since the 1990s, causing severe productivity losses, especially for outdoor workers.

Nationwide, an estimated 29 billion work hours were lost, a 92% rise from the 1990s. The agriculture sector bore the brunt, accounting for 64% of lost work hours. The $24 billion income loss equals 5% of the country’s GDP, demonstrating the significant economic impact of rising temperatures.

The report also links 225,000 deaths in 2022 to human-caused air pollution, a 38% increase since 2010. Fossil fuel combustion was responsible for over 90,000 deaths, including 30,000 from coal, while household air pollution disproportionately affected women and rural families.

Despite this, renewable energy supplied less than 1% of electricity between 2016 and 2022, while carbon emissions rose 30%. In 2023, Bangladesh spent $8.2 billion on fossil fuel subsidies, far exceeding investments in clean energy.

The report notes a 90% increase in dengue transmission potential from the 1950s to the last decade, driven by higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. Cities such as Dhaka and Chattogram face heightened risk of outbreaks due to favorable conditions for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

At the report’s national launch in Dhaka, experts warned that climate change is reversing development gains.

“Extreme climate events are already occurring in Bangladesh,” said Professor Ainun Nishat of BRAC University. “Health must be treated as a central pillar of our climate response; behind these economic losses lies immense human suffering.”

Shouro Dasgupta from the London School of Economics emphasised that heat exposure, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases are among the most pressing climate-linked health threats in Bangladesh.

Government officials highlighted ongoing measures to improve air quality, including regulated air zones and bans on brick burning, and reaffirmed a 25% renewable energy target by 2035, along with initiatives for electric cookstoves to reduce indoor pollution.

Experts stressed that health must be central to national adaptation strategies and international negotiations, including COP30, to protect vulnerable communities.

The 2025 Lancet Countdown warns that without decisive action, Bangladesh faces escalating health crises—from heat-related illness and malnutrition to rising sea levels and infectious disease outbreaks—that could undo decades of economic progress.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat for Bangladesh,” the report concludes. “It is a present and accelerating public health emergency demanding urgent national and global response.”