Extreme heat is causing significant economic and employment losses in Bangladesh, with heat-related productivity losses estimated at up to $1.8 billion in 2024, while around 465,000 full-time jobs in Dhaka are effectively lost each year, according to a World Bank report.
The report, A Livable Future: Protecting Jobs and Growth from Extreme Heat in South Asia’s Cities, warned that rising temperatures could increasingly threaten Bangladesh’s jobs, exports and economic growth without urgent adaptation measures.
Heat stress currently makes about 3% of annual working hours in Dhaka unworkable. Without effective adaptation, the figure could rise to 7.4% by 2080, equivalent to nearly 1.65 million full-time jobs.
Low-income workers in construction, manufacturing, transport, agriculture and informal services are particularly vulnerable.
The report also identified Bangladesh’s export-oriented garment sector as a major risk, warning that unmanaged heat stress across South Asia could put up to $65.8 billion in apparel export earnings at risk by 2030.
The report recommended recognising heatwaves as a disaster category, introducing mandatory passive-cooling standards for buildings, expanding access to energy-efficient cooling and strengthening heat-health monitoring.
