Bangladeshis in North America
According to the World Migration Report, Bangladesh is the sixth-largest origin country for international migrants in the world, with the diaspora numbering around 7.5 million worldwide. According to Statistics Canada 2021, 75,425 Bangladeshis make Canada their home, with the largest population in Toronto. Bangladeshi Americans are one of the fastest-growing Asian-origin groups in North America, with over over 177,000. Large populations have settled in cities such as New York and Washington D.C.
Immigrants from the Bengali region have been arriving in North America since 1887. Prior to independence in 1971, many Bengalis fled to the US to avoid political persecution or to avoid religious discrimination. Since 1971, most have come due to overpopulation, natural disasters, and poverty. Bangladeshis tend to form ethnic enclaves within the North American cities where they settle to preserve their religion and cultural identity. While Bangla is the lingua franca among Bengalis, there are unique dialects of the language spoken by some Bangladeshis, such as the Sylhetti dialect spoken by people from the Sylhet District of Bangladesh.
Religious Life
Around 95% of Bangladeshis in North America identify as Muslim, with most of the rest being Hindu. Less than 1% of Bangladeshis identify as Christian, and most of these have been Christian-background for several generations and are largely disconnected from the Muslim population. There are, however, a growing number of Bangladeshi Muslim-background people who are becoming Christians.
Bangladeshis often identify more strongly with their religious identity than their nationalistic identity. The Bangla language can even differ greatly between Muslims and Bengalis from other religions. For example, Muslims have different Bangla words for kitchen, water, greeting one another, and almost all religious terms. The fifth-largest Muslim population in the world is Bangladeshi. Most Bangladeshi Muslims identify themselves with the Sunni sect but there is a small Shi’a community. Bishwa Ijtema is an annual gathering of Muslims outside the Bangladesh capital city of Dhaka and is the second-largest gathering of Muslims in the world after the Arba’een Pilgrimage in Iraq. Bishwa Ijtema participants surpass the worshipers that perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia (which is one of the five pillars of Islam for Muslims).
In North America, Bangladeshis outside of metropolitan areas often practice their religious beliefs at home and make special trips to Bengali communities during religious holidays. In metropolitan cities, Muslims in the Bangladeshi community hold religious services within their own mosques or even in large outdoor venues for events such as Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, their fasting month.
These are the Bangladeshi communities in North America most in need of gospel witness
People Group | Metropolitan Area | Population Size | Concentrated Area | Priority Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bangladeshi | Montreal | 10,675 | Parc Extension | 48 |
Bangladeshi | Washington D.C. | 11,798 | York Town (Arlington) | 48 |
Bangladeshi | Dallas Fort Worth | 6,355 | Irving | 47 |
Bangladeshi | Philadelphia | 7,295 | Hatfield | 47 |
Bangladeshi | Toronto | 36,670 | Danforth Village | 47 |
Bangladeshi | Atlanta | 5,839 | Doraville | 46 |
Bangladeshi | Los Angeles | 7,362 | Little Bangladesh | 46 |
Bangladeshi | Detroit | 11,087 | Hamtramck | 44 |
Bangladeshi | New York | 84,099 | Jamaica (Queens) | 41 |