Bangladesh, which has been at odds with India since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August last year, has a population of just 17.4 crore, which is lower than the number of 2G users in India.
Bangladesh Population: India is the most populous country in the world, boasting a massive population of over 1.47 billion people, according to latest data. In contrast, Bangladesh, which was liberated from Pakistan in 1971, is a tiny nation, having an estimated population of just around 17.4 crore or 170.4 million, a figure which is interestingly lesser than the number of 2G internet users in India.
According to a report by ET, around 18 crore (180 million) people in India do not have access to high-speed internet services available on 4G and 5G networks, and still use 2G internet which is much slower and allows only basic communication functionalities like voice calls.
Bangladesh, which has been at odds with India since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August last year, has a population of just 17.4 crore, which is lower than the number of 2G users in India.
India’s digital revolution
India has undergone a rapid digital revolution over the past decade, thanks in part to government favorable policies that have allowed private players like Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel to rapidly expand telecom infrastructure and provide high-speed internet access to subscribers at dirt cheap prices.
However, according to experts, the revelation that there are still over 18 crore 2G users in India, a number greater than the entire population of Bangladesh, is a major hurdle in achieving countrywide internet coverage and boosting the country’s digital economy, which has become the preferred mode of payment in recent years.
Private telecom provider including market leader Jio, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, are investing heavily to bring more subscribers under the ambit of at least 4G networks, while over Rs 70,000 crore was invested by these players in 2024 to improve and expand telecom infrastructure for the next-generation 5G network.
India-Bangladesh relations at all-time low
India-Bangladesh relations have hit an all-time low after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, coming to the helm in Dhaka.
Widespread communal violence has been witnessed against minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, which has soured Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi, which has accused the Yunus-led interim government of not doing enough, and turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated by radical Islamist elements against the minority Hindu community in the country.
