Bangladeshis (Bengali: বাংলাদেশী[1] [ˈbaŋladeʃi]) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal.
Citizenship
Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971. This was when the permanent residents of the former East Pakistan were transformed into citizens of a new republic.[2] Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous nation. The vast majority of Bangladeshis are ethnolingustically Bengalis, an Indo-Aryan people who are mainly Muslim. The population of Bangladesh is concentrated in the fertile Bengal delta. It has been the center of urban and agrarian civilizations for millennia. The country's highlands, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts and parts of the Sylhet Division, are home to various tribal minorities.
Muslims
Bengali Muslims are the main ethnoreligious group of Bangladesh with a population of 135.5 million. This makes up 90.4% of the country's population as of 2011.[3][4][5] The minority Bengali Hindu population made up approximately 8.54% of the population of the country according to the 2011 Census[6] Non-Bengali Muslims make up the largest immigrant community; while the Tibeto-Burman Chakmas, who speak the Indo-Aryan Chakma language, are the largest indigenous ethnic group after Indo-Aryan Bengalis.[7] The Austroasiatic Santals are the largest indigenous community.
Diaspora
The Bangladeshi diaspora is concentrated in the Arab world, North America, Canada and the United Kingdom. A significant number of Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) have dual citizenship in different countries.
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