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Wednesday | October 07, 2026 | Dhaka

Govt urged to fix discrepancies in birth, death registration data

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 07 October 2026

Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has expressed concern over a major discrepancy between Bangladesh’s actual population and the number of people recorded in the birth registration database.

“It is a matter of concern that the registration database contains information on far more people than the country’s population of around 190 million,” he said, stressing the need to correct the discrepancies and make the registration system accurate and reliable.

The minister made the remarks at a discussion marking National Birth and Death Registration Day 2026 at a city hotel on Tuesday.

The Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration, and the Local Government Division jointly organised the programme.

Dr Khan also stressed that serving the people was the foremost duty of an elected government.
“Elected representatives and government officials must work responsibly to meet the expectations of the people who elect the government,” he said.

He said elected representatives and government officials might work through different mechanisms, but their ultimate objective should be the same – serving the people.

“The authority entrusted to the government should be used to meet people’s needs and protect their rights, not to create obstacles to public services,” he said.

Referring to birth and death registration, Dr Khan said the system was crucial for effective national administration.

He said technology alone could not ensure quality public services, as those operating the technology must also perform their duties responsibly.

The minister said citizens should not have to visit a union parishad repeatedly to obtain a simple birth certificate.

He called for greater accountability and a people-oriented approach to service delivery at the grassroots.
Speaking as the special guest, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, with support from UNICEF, introduced the birth and death registration system in Bangladesh in 2001, including the mother’s identity alongside the father’s.

He said Bangladesh currently had 24.88 crore birth registrations and 58.19 lakh death registrations, while the 2022 census recorded the country’s population at around 17 crore.

The state minister underscored the need to ensure accurate registration to address such statistical discrepancies.

He said the Birth and Death Registration Information System (BDRIS) was an important foundation for implementing the “One Citizen, One ID, One Digital Wallet” initiative.

He also stressed the need to raise awareness about birth and death registration at the union, ward and village levels.

Mir Shahe Alam said reintroducing the village government system could also help improve the accuracy of registration at the grassroots.

Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan chaired the event.

Officials from relevant ministries and government agencies, the European Union Delegation in Dhaka and UNICEF Bangladesh were also present.