Bangladesh’s economic progress may have been hyped

For years Bangladesh was hailed as an economic miracle. Sheikh Hasina, who ruled it autocratically from 2009 until August this year, insisted she was the brains behind the growth. Official statistics gave these claims legitimacy: in the decade before the pandemic the economy grew by 7% annually, a rate comparable with China’s. Yet this narrative has now been upended. A student-led uprising has toppled Sheikh Hasina. And a new white paper, published earlier this month, has shredded her economic legacy.