INTRODUCTION

Properly planned and conducted household surveys are the most reliable mechanism to assess progress regarding achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in countries where the routine development outcome or impact information is not readily available.

The analysis of the 2000, 2003 and 2006 MICSs data indicated that considerable disparities exist among the performance of districts in terms of achieving MDGs. A further preliminary assessment undertaken by UNICEF that attempted to better understand the causes of such disparities suggested that poverty and geographic isolation are amongst the likely factors.

The 2009 MICS was conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. It was designed to collect data related to MDGs except for MDG 1: “Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”, as other household surveys had already been planned to update data for this MDG. This survey was, however, for the first time in the history of Bangladesh designed to collect representative data at upazila (sub-district) level. A total of 24 indicators were assessed.
The preliminary report of the 2009 MICS presents selected results on MDG monitoring indicators as well as a composite index based on nine key indicators. The results in this report are preliminary and are subject to change, although major changes are not expected. The full report is scheduled for publication in March 2010.

The results of the 2009 MICS provide valuable and detailed information for the Government of Bangladesh as well as its development partners to better prioritize, target, plan and budget for social sector interventions, in the context of the 5-year development plan currently being prepared.
Sixty four districts and 481 upazilas are ranked by the above mentioned MDG composite index*. Ranking of geographic areas from the best performing (smallest number) to the worst performing (highest number) provides a solid baseline for the Government at all levels to account for achieving MDGs with equity in Bangladesh by 2015.