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Bangladesh has 16.5 lakh people from 50 ethnic communities: Minister
He noted that activities are being carried out through legal and institutional frameworks to safeguard the cultural heritage of ethnic communities
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 25 Jun 2026, 04:31 PM
Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury. Photo: BSS
Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury has informed the Parliament that the number of gazette-listed ethnic communities in the country currently stands at 50 and the number of people stands at 16,50,159.
He revealed the information on Thursday while
responding to a tabled question from MP Selina Sultana. Speaker Hafiz Uddin
Ahmad was presiding over the session.
The minister said that according to the Schedule of
the Small Ethnic Cultural Institutions Act, 2010 (amended in 2019), a total of
50 ethnic communities have been officially included in the government gazette.
According to the preliminary report of the
Population and Housing Census 2022, the combined population of scheduled and
other ethnic communities in the country stands at 1,650,159, accounting for
around one percent of Bangladesh's total population.
Nitai said that the government has been implementing
various programmes to preserve and promote the languages, cultures, traditions
and lifestyles of ethnic communities. Various initiatives have also been
undertaken to highlight their cultural identities and heritage at the national
level, he added.
He noted that activities are being carried out
through legal and institutional frameworks to safeguard the cultural heritage
of ethnic communities, while necessary support for the development and promotion
of their cultures continues to be provided by the government.