Summary

Bangladesh

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Bangladesh Summary

Bangladesh

Civil Registration System

The primary laws on civil registration are the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 2004; the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2013; and the Birth and Death Registration Rules, 2018. Pursuant to these laws, the Office of the Registrar General of Birth and Death Registration (ORG), which falls under the  Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (MLGRD&C), is responsible for overseeing civil registration throughout Bangladesh. Registrars are local elected officials at the city, municipality, union council, and cantonment level.

Does the law designate a national level agency responsible for civil registration?

Yes. Office of the Registrar General of Birth and Death Registration.

Does the law provide for a uniform process to complete civil registrations across the country?

To some extent

At what level of civil division are primary registration offices located?

City, municipality, union, cantonment levels

Does the law establish, or authorize the establishment of, secondary civil registration offices under the jurisdiction of the primary civil registration office?

No

Is the local civil registrar empowered by law to register vital events? If yes, do they have the power to issue certificates of registration?

Yes local civil registrar empowered to register vital events and issue certificates

Does the law require the local civil registration office to transmit registration records to the national civil registration authority on a regular and timely basis?

Yes

Does the law provide for a right and a process to appeal a decision of a civil registrar?

Yes a right to and process for appeal is provided for

Does the law authorize the local civil registrar to use mobile registration to reach remote or rural areas?

No

Does the law require that the civil registration authority share data with the agency responsible for producing vital statistics, on a regular and timely basis?

Yes

Does the law block the use of technology, such as electronic collection, transmission and storage of data, within the civil registration system?

No

Is there a national coordinating committee to address issues on the functioning of the civil registration system and its integration with other systems, such as the health sector, vital statistics, national identity system, medicolegal death investigation, and others?

Yes
Birth Registration

The primary laws on civil registration are the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 2004; the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2013; and the Birth and Death Registration Rules, 2018. Birth registration is universal and compulsory, with the exception of refugees, and on-time registration is free of charge. There are clear registration procedures set out in the law. The role of informants and the health sector is clearly defined.

Is birth registration available and compulsory for all births occurring within the country's jurisdiction?

No

Does the law provide a clear definition of live birth? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?

Yes live birth is defined but does not accord with international guidelines

Where must births be reported?

Place of occurrence

What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?

45 days/upto 5 years/after 5 years

Are there any fees for on-time birth registration?

No

Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?

Yes

Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?

Either parent

Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring outside health facilities?

Either parent

Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?

Yes

Is a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) assigned at birth registration for every child born in the country?

UPI assigned at birth registration but only to citizens
Death Registration

The primary laws on civil registration are the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 2004; the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2013; and the Birth and Death Registration Rules, 2018. Death registration is universal and compulsory, with the exception of refugees, and on-time registration is free of charge. There are clear registration procedures set out in the law. The role of informants and the health sector is clearly defined.

Is death registration available and compulsory for all events occurring in the country's jurisdiction?

No

Where must deaths be reported?

Place of residence of deceased

Does the law provide a clear definition of death? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?

Yes death is defined by law but does not accord with international guidelines

What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?

45 days

Who is designated as the primary informant for natural deaths that occur in a health facility?

Nearest relative

Are there any fees for on-time death registration?

No

Who is designated primary informant for natural deaths occurring outside a health facility?

Nearest relative

Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?

Yes

What role do local leaders or local authorities have in the registration process for deaths that occur in the community?

Notification

Does the law link retirment of a UPI and/or identity credential to death registration?

Yes

Is the original death certificate provided free of charge?

Yes
Stillbirth Reporting

Stillbirths are reported through the health sector in Bangladesh.

Does the law provide a definition of fetal death? If yes, does the definition of fetal death accord with international guidelines?

Unclear

Does the law provide a definition of, or criteria for stillbirth? If yes, does the definition of or criteria for stillbirth accord with international guidelines?

Unclear

What system(s) are used to report stillbirths?

Health Sector

Is stillbirth registration available and compulsory for all stillbirths occurring within the country's jurisdiction?

Not permitted

Who is the designated primary informant for declaring stillbirths to the civil registrar?

Unspecified

What is the role of the health sector in stillbirth registration?

Where must stillbirths be reported?

Unclear

Are there any fees for stillbirth registration?

No

Does the civil register contain a separate register for stillbirths, distinct from birth and death registers?

No

Does the law mandate reporting of all stillbirths through the health sector?

Not mandated by law but recorded in practice

Does the law require or request medical certification of cause of death for stillbirths? If yes, does the medical certificate of cause of death used, accord with the WHO MCCD form?

MCCD not required
Cause of Death

The Birth and Death Registration Rules 2018  and Ministry of Health Guidelines govern cause of death. If a person dies in a health facility, a physician will complete an MCCD per the MOH Guidelines. However, if there is no MCCD, the family is requested to provide a cause of death in the death registration application form.

Does the law require a cause of death (CoD) to register a death?

Cause of death information required but not an MCCD

Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death, for natural deaths occurring in a health facility?

No

Does the law designate a certifier of cause of death, for natural deaths occurring under medical supervision but outside a health facility?

No

Does the law provide a form to certify cause of death? If yes, does the form accord with WHO Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Form?

Yes the law provides a form for certifying cause of death that accords with WHO standard MCCD Form

Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death when deaths are unnatural or suspicious, or otherwise referred to the MLDI authority?

No

Does the standard form death certificate include cause of death information?

Yes

Does the law allow for the use of verbal autopsy when there is no MCCD?

No
Medicolegal Death Investigation

Bangladesh has a law enforcement-led medicolegal death investigation system governed by the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Who is designated as the primary informant for unnatural or suspicious deaths?

Nearest relative

What type of medicolegal death investigation (MLDI) system does the country have?

Law Enforcement Led System

Does the law clearly state what types of cases must be referred to the MLDI authority and is this in accordance with international guidance?

Yes

Does the law mandate that law enforcement and/or heads of custodial institutions report all deaths in custody to the medicolegal death investigation authority?

Yes

For a death referred to the MLDI system, does the law specify how cause of death information is transmitted to the civil registrar and/or statistics agency?

Yes for transmission of information to civil registrar and statistics agency
Vital Statistics

The Statistics Act, 2013 establishes the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) as the entity responsible for national statistics. Under Section 12 of the Act, the BBS may require any government entity to provide information for the purpose of generation of statistics. Under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Registrar General  (ORG) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the ORG shares civil registration data with the BBS for purpose of generation of vital statistics.

Does the legal framework designate the entity or entities responsible for compiling vital statistics in the country?

Yes. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Are vital statistics derived from the civil registration system?

Yes

Are there clear procedures and timeframes in the legal framework to facilitate sharing data from the civil registration agency to the national statistics agency(ies)?

Yes

Does the law require that civil registration data be anonymized before it is shared with the national statistics agency(ies)?

Yes

Are vital statistics compiled centrally?

Yes

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected at birth registration?

Partially

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected at death registration?

Partially

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected for stillbirths (either through civil registration or the Ministry of Health)?

No