Population in CHT
The people of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) are totally different from the rest of the people of the Bangladesh in all respects, such as, in social, economical, political, cultural etc. It is a land of eleventh multilingual indigenous people consisting of Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Mro, Bawm, Pangkhu, Khyang, Khumi, Chak, Lushai, Tanchangya collectively known as Jumma. There are also few hundreds of people belongings to Assames and Nepalese who have been living in CHT for long time. The indigenous Jumma people mainly practice Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity as religion. Each group has been exhibiting distinctly different languages, culture, religions and even customs. In spite of that these indigenous people has been peacefully co-existing with each other with their traditional economic system and develop their own socio-economic-cultural and political system under the umbrella of their traditional "Jum economy".
The indigenous Jumma people are of Mongoloid origin belonging to the Tibeto-Burman or Mon-Khmer group although there are some Indo-Aryan traces visible in them. The original languages of the different ethnics groups belong to the various branches of different language families. Mr. G A Grierson mentioned that the languages of Bawm, Chakma, Khumi, Khyang, Lushai, Marma, Mro, Pangkhu, Chak, Tanchangya are Kuki-Chin branch of Tibeto-Burmese family. Kokbarak (Tripura) language is Bodo branch of Tibeto-Burmese family. The Chakma and Marma have own scripts.
Indigenous Jumma Population
Sl. |
Ethnic Group |
1871 |
1901 |
1951 |
1981 |
1991 |
Chakma |
28,097 |
44,392 |
133,075 |
230,273 |
239,417 |
|
Tanchangya |
|
|
|
|
19,211 |
|
Marma |
22,060 |
30,706 |
65,889 |
122,734 |
142,334 |
|
Tripura |
8,100 |
23,341 |
37,246 |
54,375 |
61,129 |
|
Mro* |
2,378 |
10,540 |
16,121 |
17,811 |
22,161 |
|
Bawm |
305 |
696 |
977 |
5,733 |
6,978 |
|
Khyang |
306 |
1,427 |
1,300 |
5,453 |
1,950 |
|
Pangkhu |
177 |
241 |
627 |
2,278 |
3,227 |
|
Khumi |
534 |
1,053 |
1,941 |
1,188 |
1,241 |
|
Lushai |
-- |
678 |
3,341 |
1,041 |
662 |
|
Chak |
-- |
-- |
-- |
910 |
2,000 |
|
|
Others** |
|
|
|
|
828 |
Total |
61,957 |
113,074 |
260,517 |
441,796 |
501,144 |
|
Source: An Evaluation of Integrated Community Development Programme for the CHT
* Census report of 1991 mentions Mro population were 22,041 and Murang 126. In fact, they are same ethnic group.
** Census report of 1991 does not mention clearly about others. Of course, there are included 70 population of Rakhaine.
Trend of Demographic
During the independent of India and Pakistan, the total population of Chittagong Hill Tracts was only 247,053 out of that only 2.5 percent Bengali including 1.5 percent Bengali Muslims. But after 20 years of Pakistan Period and 31 years of the Bangladesh period, the picture of the demography of CHT has significantly changed specially after the systematic illegal settlement of Bengali Muslims by the successive governments.
Noted the more than 450,000 Bengali Muslims from the plain districts of the Bangladesh has illegally been given settlement in CHT by the government of Bangladesh. So, presently according the Bangladesh census report 2000 the total population of the CHT is 1,325,000. Noted that the total figure is including ethnic Bengali and settlers and also many numbers of Bengali settlers are excluded in the time of census. It is estimated that the population of the Jumma will be around 700,000. According to the census report of 1991, total population was 974,445 (including ethnic Bengali and settlers) out of that 501,144 were Jumma and 473301 were Bengali (means 49% of total Population).
Trend of Demographic and ethnic composition
Year |
Jumma |
Bengali |
Total |
Source |
||
Population |
% |
Population |
% |
|||
1871 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
63,054 |
|
1881 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
101,597 |
|
1891 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
107,286 |
|
1901 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
124,762 |
|
1911 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
153,830 |
|
1921 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
173,243 |
|
1931 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
212,922 |
|
1941 |
239,783 |
97.06 |
7,270 |
2.94 |
247,053 |
Census 1941 |
1951 |
269,177 |
93.71 |
18,070 |
6.29 |
287,247 |
Census 1951 |
1961 |
339,757 |
88.23 |
45.322 |
11.77 |
385,679 |
Census 1961 |
1970 |
-- |
-- |
66,000 |
-- |
66,000 |
JSS statistics |
1974 |
392,199 |
77.17 |
116,000 |
22.83 |
508,199 |
JSS statistics |
1981* |
441,744 |
58.77 |
313,188 |
41.48 |
754,962 |
Census 1981 |
1991 |
501,144 |
51.40 |
473,301 |
48.60 |
974,445 |
Census 1991 |
* In 1981:
- Total Hindu population (Bengali & Tripura) is 69,802 and Tripura 58,385. Therefore, actual Bengali Hindu population is 11,417.
- Total Bengali population (Muslim & Hindu) is 313,188 and Bengali Hindu population 11,477. Therefore, actual Bengali Muslim population is 310,771.
Year wise population has been increased in the following manners
