Economic Fragility as a National Security Risk: Implications for Bangladesh’s State Resilience

In this commentary, BIPSS Research Assistant Jannatul Toba Jhumu examines how economic fragility has evolved into a critical national security concern for Bangladesh. She argues that economic resilience is no longer solely a matter of growth and development but a fundamental component of state resilience, influencing governance capacity, social stability, and strategic autonomy. The commentary analyzes key vulnerabilities, including declining financial buffers, banking sector weaknesses, export concentration, energy dependence, institutional credibility challenges, and mounting demographic and climate-related pressures. It further highlights how these interconnected risks can amplify one another, reducing the state’s ability to absorb and recover from future shocks. Toba concludes that strengthening economic resilience through structural reforms, institutional accountability, export diversification, energy security, and human capital development should be treated as a national security priority to ensure Bangladesh’s long-term stability and resilience in an increasingly uncertain global environment.