You can say what you like as regards growth, what matters is that it has been accepted by major orgs(IMF, ADB etc) and unskilled farm labourers are getting 7 US dollars a day. If BD was much behind the region, then an unskilled farm labourer would not be earning this kind of salary.
Debt to GDP: No it is not when the countries are in very similar stages of development.
Anyway BD government paid 1.2 billion US dollars to external lenders in 2017-2018 as opposed to around 7 US billion dollars for Pakistan. Budgets of both countries are similar and BD spends way less on defence compared to Pakistan( US 4 billion in BD to US 10 billion for Pakistan)
Only in the last 5 years was massive loans taken out from Russia(12 billion US dollars) and China(7 billion US dollars). The Russian loan is commercial while the Chinese loans are soft. All other loans BD takes out are very soft.
All major infrastructure projects have happened in last 5 years - Padma Bridge, Roopur Nuclear Plant, Dhaka Metro etc.
Feel free to name a single multi-billion dollar infrastructure project that started before 2014 if you know of one.
It does not matter what other nations say as BD is fiscally very conservative and does not engage in ANY "white-elephants". The few proposed never saw the light of day.
True but with the digital age upon us it will be easier to collect extra revenues
Sure...
https://www.thedailystar.net/busine...xport-growth-of-bangladesh-in-fy-2019-1768774
In terms of per capita income it has left behind both countries.
Remember only just over 10 years ago it was much behind both
This will all change:
https://tbsnews.net/economy/govt-eyes-4bn-export-earning-shipbuilding
"With a $4bn annual export earnings target in five years, the government has drafted a policy for the shipbuilding industry to provide a range of facilities for entrepreneurs, including bank loans at a 4% interest rate.
The loan, which has to be repaid in 20 years, comes with a five-year moratorium.
At present, bank loans for the industry come with a two-digit interest rate but the Ministry of Industries feels it needs to come down to 4%.:
"The formation of a Tk5,000 crore special fund for the shipbuilding industry was also proposed in the draft of the Shipbuilding Industry Development Policy 2019. "
Another motor to the BD export basket will soon come online. This will be a major impetus to diversifying away from garments.
@Bilal9