One in three suffers from illness: BBS Health Survey 2025

One in every three people in the country is affected by some form of illness, with women reporting a higher rate of morbidity than men, according to the 'Health and Morbidity Status Survey (HMSS) 2025' released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The findings of the nationwide survey were unveiled on Sunday at the BBS Auditorium in Agargaon here. BBS Deputy Director Md Alamgir presented the results at an event with BBS Director General Mohammad Mizanur Rahman in the chair. 

Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Aleya Akter and Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division Md Huzur Ali were also present.

According to the survey, 33 per cent of the country's population- 332.19 out of every 1,000 people- reported suffering from an illness in the 90 days preceding the survey. 

The rate stood at 354.56 per thousand among women and 309.06 per thousand among men. Illness was most prevalent among the elderly, with the rate reaching 744 per thousand in the 75-79 age group, compared to 232 per thousand among infants under one year.

High blood pressure or hypertension emerged as the most common illness, affecting 78.28 per thousand respondents. It was followed by peptic ulcer (63.79), diabetes (43.15), arthritis (39.75), skin diseases (37.23), heart disease (31.32), asthma (30.94), osteoporosis (22.30), hepatitis (22.30) and diarrhoea (15.89).

The survey covered 47,040 households and 189,986 individuals across the country during November and December of last year.

Average per capita medical expenditure during the three months prior to the survey stood at Taka 2,487. Women incurred higher health expenses, averaging Taka 2,576, compared to Taka 2,387 for men.

The study also recorded tobacco use among people aged 15 and above. It found that 26.7 per cent used some form of tobacco, with rural prevalence at 27.7 per cent and urban prevalence at 24.1 per cent.

Among women aged 15-49, the survey noted that 5.2 per cent were pregnant at the time of data collection, while 6.9 per cent had given birth in the previous 12 months. The nationwide caesarean delivery rate stood at 49.3 per cent, reaching 53.3 per cent in urban areas and 48.1 per cent in rural areas. The average cost per delivery was estimated at Taka 22,677.

BBS officials said the findings will support policymakers in strengthening healthcare planning and resource allocation.