Dhaka, 19 October 2026: Running a kitchen at home is now becoming like feeding Lodha's gram for an ordinary family. When the burden of rising expenses amid rising inflation and income reaches the kitchen, it is not difficult to imagine the problems the family will face. The situation in which the month starts and the salary gets exhausted within a few days, it becomes difficult to bear the expenses of children's education and one has to lend a helping hand to others to run the household, is not just a household, but has today become the reality of millions of families in Bangladesh.
A recent report on the economic condition of ordinary families in Bangladesh has presented a worrying picture. Now taking loan or borrowing is not limited only to the time of illness, marriage or any major crisis, but people have to resort to lending even to meet their daily needs. According to a special survey of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the average monthly income of a family in the country has increased to 33,513 percent, while the average monthly expenditure has increased to 35,311 percent. That is, the family is spending approximately 1798 percent more every month than what it earns.
This figure may seem small, but due to this kind of food every month, the financial condition of the family continues to deteriorate. According to the report, this burden of debt is seen more in rural areas than in cities. In the last one year, 51.91 percent of the families in rural areas have had to borrow to meet basic expenses. Whereas in urban areas this figure was 40.19 percent and in urban corporation areas this figure was 32.11 percent. This shows that low income and limited employment opportunities in villages are greatly increasing the problems of families.
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Poverty rate expected to increase to 22.5 percent
According to former World Bank economist Zahid Hussain, persistent inflation, weak economic growth and falling real wages have wreaked havoc on families. According to World Bank estimates, the poverty rate in Bangladesh, which was 18.7 percent in 2022, may increase to 22.5 percent in 2026.
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Why is inflation becoming a big challenge?
Increase in prices: People's purchasing power has reduced due to skyrocketing prices of food items and other essential commodities.
Decreased Savings: It has become difficult to save the budget due to the income not increasing at the same pace.
People's compulsion: Saving is a distant dream; families have to borrow money from friends, relatives and others to run the household.
This situation of economic imbalance is a serious situation that demands consideration not only for one country, but for every ordinary family in the time of global inflation.
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