Millionaire Bank Accounts Rise by 12,000 in Bangladesh

Despite the slowdown in the country's overall economy and growing concerns about unemployment and poverty, the number of millionaire depositors in Bangladesh’s banking sector has increased significantly.

According to the latest report from Bangladesh Bank, the number of bank accounts holding deposits of Tk 1 crore or more increased by nearly 12,000 in the past year.

At the end of the December quarter of 2025, the total number of such accounts stood at 134,044. A year earlier, at the end of December 2024, the number was 122,081. This means 11,963 new millionaire accounts were added within a year.

The increase was also noticeable in the final quarter of 2025. The number of accounts rose from 128,070 in September 2025 to 134,044 in December, an increase of 5,974 accounts in three months.

The amount of money held in these accounts also grew during this period. Total deposits in these accounts were Tk 821,562 crore at the end of September, which increased by Tk 34,214 crore to Tk 855,776 crore by December.

However, officials at Bangladesh Bank note that a crore-taka account does not necessarily represent a single millionaire individual. Apart from individuals, many institutions also maintain large deposits, and the same person or organization may hold multiple accounts in different banks.

Economists say the continued rise in millionaire accounts reflects growing income inequality in the country.

Former Bangladesh Bank chief economist Mustafa K. Mujeri said the rise in millionaire accounts, at a time when poverty and underemployment are increasing, suggests that wealth distribution remains uneven.

Dr. Mostafizur Rahman, Special Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), also expressed concern. According to him, inequality in revenue policy and the tax structure is allowing the wealthy to accumulate more wealth, which may deepen social disparities. He stressed the need for greater investment and job creation to address the imbalance.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arif Hossain Khan described the trend as a natural outcome of economic growth. He said that as the economy expands and average incomes rise, banking activities and large deposits also increase.

Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) shows that the number of crore-taka bank accounts has been steadily rising over the past few years. In 2020, the number stood at 93,890, and it has grown by several thousand each year, now exceeding 134,000.

Analysts say the trend indicates an increasing concentration of wealth within a relatively small segment of the population.