Bangladesh's Graduation from Least Developed Country Status: A Reckoning with Success and Its Consequences

In November 2026, Bangladesh will formally graduate from the United Nations' Least Developed Country category — the culmination of three decades of export-led growth that has lifted 40 million people out of poverty. The graduation will also eliminate the preferential trade arrangements that underpinned that growth, creating the most consequential trade policy challenge in the country's history.