population of Bangladesh (2001) was 131,269,860, making Bangladesh one of the ten most populous countries. The overall density, 890 persons per sq km (2,304 persons per sq mi) in 2001, is much higher than that of other countries except for microstates such as Singapore. Bangladesh supports a large rural population, with 21 percent of the Bangladeshi people classified as urban in 1999.

Bangladesh is a melting pot of races. The proto-Australoids, sometimes called Veddas, were one of the earliest groups to enter the area. According to some ethnologists, they were followed by Mediterranean Caucasoids (whites), also known as Aryans. Armenoids (of Indo-European stock) are believed to have entered as well. With the coming of the Muslims in the 8th century AD, new elements were introduced; persons of Arab, Persian, and Turkish origin moved in large numbers to the subcontinent. By the beginning of the 13th century they had entered what is now Bangladesh. The contention that Bengali Muslims are all descended from lower-caste Hindus who were converted to Islam is incorrect