Dhaka, Sep 20 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League Party on Saturday highlighted that over 10,000 new millionaires have emerged in just 8–10 months amid the country’s economic recession, while ordinary people are being swept away in a tide of poverty under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

According to the party, the economy of Bangladesh is currently in a severe recession with unemployment exceeding eight per cent, and the poverty rate at nearly 28 per cent.

The party mentioned that hundreds of factories have shut down, foreign investment is almost zero, and 2.6 million people have lost their jobs, with ordinary people struggling to cope with soaring prices of essential goods. It stressed that in the post-Covid period, GDP growth has dropped to just 3.97 per cent.

“Never before has the country seen wealth grow in such a crisis—but banking data tells a different story. According to Bangladesh Bank’s Banking Statistics Report, in the past 8–10 months, 10,928 new millionaire accounts have been added. As of June 2025, the total number of millionaire accounts has reached 127,336. What is particularly concerning is that 87 per cent of the new millionaires are under the age of 30, and more than 2,000 of them have not yet even completed their studies,” the Awami League stated

Raising concerns, the Awami League questioned who these millionaires are and how they are amassing such abnormal wealth while the lives of ordinary people are becoming increasingly unbearable in Bangladesh.

“Three million people have lost their jobs. Foreign investment is nearly zero. 10,928 new millionaires in just 8–10 months. Over 2,000 millionaires have not yet finished their education. This growing inequality and opaque wealth accumulation is heightening social concern. Without vigilance, regulatory intervention, and transparent policies, the gap between the ordinary population and a small wealthy elite will continue to widen—potentially leading to lasting social instability,” the party asserted.

Earlier this month, the Awami League stated that Bangladesh is experiencing its most severe crisis in over a decade, caused by Islamist militancy, extremism, economic collapse, unemployment, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread unrest under the Yunus regime.

–IANS

scor/as