Language selection

Government of Canada Government of Canada

Search

Canada-Bangladesh relations

On this page

Bilateral relations

Canada established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh in 1972. Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada to Bangladesh, in Dhaka. In Canada, Bangladesh is represented by the High Commission for Bangladesh in Ottawa.

Canada pursues a broad range of interests in its bilateral relations with Bangladesh, including:

Both countries also participate actively on the international stage as members of the United Nations and are members of the Commonwealth.

Canada believes that democracy is integral to a peaceful and prosperous future for Bangladeshis and supports programs that help strengthen Bangladesh’s democratic institutions, security and justice sectors. This includes the full participation of women.

People-to-people links between Canada and Bangladesh are expanding. The Bangladeshi-Canadian community is strong, estimated at over 100,000 people of Bangladeshi origin living in Canada. They continue to make significant contributions to Canadian prosperity and to the multi-cultural fabric of Canada, reinforcing ties between our two countries.

Canada has expressed its concerns about the state of human rights, democracy and rule of law in Bangladesh. This includes concerns related to the rights of workers and of various groups: religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and women and girls. Canada encourages Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that human rights and democratic freedoms are respected.

Canada works with the Government of Bangladesh to help ensure that the more than 1 million Rohingya refugees it hosts live in safety and in dignity, while helping to meet the needs of both refugees and of impacted Bangladeshi host communities. In 2017, attacks against the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State in Myanmar caused over 770,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The horrors inflicted on Rohingya women, children and men during the August 2017 operations included mass killings, torture, the burning of hundreds of village, as well as widespread and systematic rape and other forms of sexual violence. Learn more about Canada’s response to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh and the broader situation of conflict and instability in Myanmar.

Development

Canada and Bangladesh share more than 50 years of development partnership, underpinned by over $6.2 billion of international assistance to Bangladesh since 1972. Current programming supports mutual priorities in the areas of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, health (including sexual and reproductive health and rights), education and skills training, labour reform and climate change adaptation, as well as support to Rohingya refugees and host communities. These development priorities are in line with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy.

Trade relations

Canada’s commercial relationship with Bangladesh has grown significantly over the last few decades. The value of bilateral merchandise trade grew from $600.5 million in 2004 to over $3.5 billion dollars in 2023. Canadian merchandise exports to Bangladesh were $1.31 billion in 2023, of which over 90% were potash, cereals, and pulses. Canadian merchandise imports from Bangladesh were $2.23 billion in 2023, with over 90% coming from the ready-made-garments sector.

Bangladesh is Canada’s fourth largest pulse export market (e.g. dry peas, lentils, chickpeas), and a major market for high quality wheat. In addition, several flagship Canadian companies from the readymade garments, aerospace, defence and security sectors are active in the Bangladesh market and pursuing new business opportunities.

Canada has supplied Bangladesh more than one million tons of potash since 1972 and is now its primary source. In partnership with the Canadian Commercial Corporation, the Government of Canada signed the first government-to-government agreement with the Government of Bangladesh in April 2014 to export high quality potash fertilizer to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has enjoyed duty-free market access to Canada, for most goods, since 2003, expanding access to the Canadian market for almost all commodities from Bangladesh.

Canada’s popularity is increasing as a “study destination of choice” for Bangladeshi students. More than 15,800 Bangladeshi students chose to study in Canada in 2023, an increase of 150% since 2018.

Related links

Partnerships and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Bangladesh work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

Date modified: