Which city is Bangladesh's largest by population?

Dhaka is Bangladesh’s largest city by population.

Dhaka is both the national capital and the country’s principal urban, administrative, and economic centre. The city lies beside the Buriganga River and has grown dramatically as people have moved from across Bangladesh for work, education, government services, and trade. Its wider metropolitan area is far larger than the formally administered city.

Population comparisons can be confusing because “city” may mean the city corporation, the built-up urban area, or the metropolitan region. Bangladesh’s 2022 census counted more than 10 million people in the city proper, while broader urban-area estimates place Dhaka’s population at several times that figure. Under each commonly used definition, it remains ahead of Chittagong, the country’s major port city.

Dhaka was historically known as Dacca and became especially important under Mughal rule, when it served as the capital of Bengal from 1608. Sylhet and Khulna are significant regional cities, but neither is Bangladesh’s population leader.