Table of contentsIntroductionAdult literacy rateDependency ratioAge at first marriageConclusion and recommendationsThis article attempts to explore the situation of rural-urban differences to find a clear picture in formulating new policies and programs regarding the overall socio-economic development of Bangladesh. The data was mainly collected from the Bangladesh Vital Statistics Report (SVRS) of different years published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). Despite government initiatives to reduce rural-urban disparities in the context of development, rural-urban inequalities persist and challenges continue to evolve. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the creation of innovative and effective policies and programs that can improve the situation of rural-urban gaps in Bangladesh. The results of this study should be used scientifically to develop appropriate programs addressing the causes of rural-urban differences in Bangladesh. Otherwise, the goal of comprehensive development risks remaining elusive. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionBangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world where most of its population still lives in rural areas. About 77 percent of Bangladesh's population lives in rural areas and 23 percent in urban areas. The country has made remarkable progress in the socio-economic and demographic sectors over the past decades. This progress has already been reflected in the achievement of various targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the stipulated time frame. The country has also made progress in social indicators, even though one in three people live below the poverty line. It is assumed that with certain other variables, the development of Bangladesh is slowed down due to rural-urban inequalities. In most cases, urban areas have experienced high levels of growth and development, while rural areas have seen little change. In Bangladesh, rural-urban disparities in per capita income, consumption, education, health facilities and physical infrastructure constitute a significant development problem. The extent to which the rural-urban divide has narrowed and whether rural-urban inequality has decreased or increased are still hotly debated questions. Most compatriots consider rural life undesirable compared to urban life. Opportunities in various sectors like education, health, employment, etc. are higher in urban areas than in rural areas. There are differences between urban and rural education, including differences in quality, early childhood education opportunities and post-secondary outcomes, including participation in higher education, as well as differences in educational attainment. parental education. The prevalence of poverty is often higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Employment, in a developing country like Bangladesh, is a critical link between economic growth and poverty reduction, as the vast majority of the population depends on employmentas the only source of subsistence. Compared to rural areas, these employment opportunities are higher in urban areas. All these differentiations have a knock-on effect independent of the socio-economic and demographic factors that push many rural residents to migrate to cities, to pursue expected socio-economic gains. However, rural areas have experienced significant social changes, particularly due to the effects of migration which lead to changes in population structures. This change in population structure poses a very difficult problem not only for city dwellers but also for the country as a whole. In order to balance the country's development, the gap between rural and urban areasneeds to seize opportunities. In doing so, research into inequalities between rural and urban areas is essential. Thus, this study attempts to better understand the rural-urban differentiations in certain socio-demographic characteristics of the population of Bangladesh. Adult Literacy Rate Bangladesh has made considerable progress in the education sector over the past few decades. It is expected that progress in the education sector will be faster than at present if there are no spatial differences. Along with other factors, adult literacy is one of the most influential development factors. The adult literacy rate is the percentage of the population aged 15 and over who can write a letter to the total population of the same age group. The adult literacy rate increased from 61 percent in 2013 to around 73 percent in 2017, with an increase rate of 4.83 percent per year for the total population. In rural areas, this adult literacy rate increased from 57 percent in 2013 to 66 percent in 2017 with an annual increase rate of 3.99 percent while in urban areas, this rate increased annually by 2.36 percent during the same period (i.e. 2013-2017). However, the rate of increase is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The overall adult literacy percentage is considerably higher in urban areas than in rural areas. This inequality in the adult literacy rate could be responsible for the overall development of the country. Dependency Ratio The dependency ratio can also be considered as one of the development measures that reflect the status of society. The dependency rate is defined as the ratio between the sum of the population aged 0 to 14 and 65 and over and the population of working age (i.e. the population aged 15 to 64 ), expressed as a percentage. The dependency ratio of the total population decreased from 58 percent in 2013 to 53 percent in 2017, with an annual decrease of 2.2 percent. This ratio has been decreasing slowly in both rural and urban areas and the annual rate of decrease was 1.63 percent and 1.5 percent respectively between 2013 and 2017. It is seen that the dependency ratio is higher in the rural areas than in their counterparts. first marriageThe age at first marriage of women in a society is also influenced by their socio-cultural status and the environmental situation in which they live. Poverty is one of the main factors behind early marriages. It has been found that the average age at first marriage, especially among men, has fallen slightly in recent times. For example, the age at first marriage calculated in 2015 was 25.3 years, which fell to 25.2 years in 2016, and then to 25.1 years in 2017. Women's age at first marriage has remained stable (18.4 years old). since 2013 with a small depression in 2014 (18.3 years). The average age atfirst marriage of men increased slowly, standing at 0.82 percent, 0.41 percent and 1.63 percent for the total in rural and urban areas respectively during the period 2013 to 2017. Average age at first marriage for women remained unchanged for the country as a whole while it decreased by 0.41 percent in rural areas and increased slightly by 1.06 percent in urban areas between 2013 and 2017. Contraceptive prevalence rateThe contraceptive prevalence rate is very important to control the population of a country which can be defined as the percentage of couples currently practicing a contraceptive method compared to the number of currently married women of childbearing age. As a populous country, Bangladesh needs to increase this rate. But over the last five years (i.e. 2013-2017), this rate has increased slightly (almost static) for total (0.04 percent) and urban areas (0.86 percent) while it decreased in rural areas (-0.97 percent). ). We note that the contraceptive prevalence rate decreased in most cases between 2013 and 2017, with the exception of urban areas where this rate increased slightly. Fertility and mortality The crude mortality rate is considered one of the simplest fertility measures. In the previous analysis reveals that the contraceptive prevalence rate has remained almost stable in recent years. This was reflected in the fertility analysis. The crude birth rate decreased slightly (0.66%) in the country between 2013 and 2017, while it increased annually by 1.42% in rural areas during the same period. The crude mortality rate declined annually by 2.88 percent in urban areas during the same period. Like the crude birth rate, the total fertility rate also declined across the country and in urban areas, while it increased in rural areas. The country's total fertility rate decreased by 0.71 percent per year, from 2.11 in 2013 to 2.05 in 2017, while in urban areas the total fertility rate decreased by 2. 17 percent per year over the same period. Instead, the total fertility rate in rural areas increased from 2.19 in 2013 to 2.37 in 2017 with an annual increase rate of 2.05 percent. To explain the mortality situation of a country, the crude mortality rate is the most important. and simple measurement. The crude mortality rate decreased slightly from 5.3 in 2013 to 5.1 in 2017, with a rate of 0.94 percent per year for the total population. This declining rate was 2.17 percent in urban areas during the same period. In rural areas, this crude mortality rate increased from 5.6 percent in 2013 to 5.7 percent in 2017, with an annual increase rate of 0.44 percent. Degree of association between adult literacy rate and certain demographic variables. In this section, we presented the degree of association between the adult literacy rate and selected demographic characteristics of the population over the last five years (i.e. 2013-2014). We see that the adult literacy rate has a strong negative correlation with the population dependency ratio (r = -0.94). A moderate positive correlation was found between adult literacy rate and average age at first marriage for both men (r = 0.60) and women (r = 0.49). The contraceptive prevalence rate is also positively correlated with the adult literacy rate and their coefficient is estimated at 0.45. Population education is largely associated with fertility and mortality. The analysis reveals that the adult literacy rate has a greater negative effect on.