Relationship dossier
Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Substantial labor and diplomatic cooperation, with continuing concerns over migrant-worker conditions.
Bangladesh toward Saudi Arabia
+40Bangladesh has participated in the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition and has engaged Saudi Arabia on labor migration and bilateral investment. These actions reflect practical cooperation, although the extent of Bangladesh’s operational contribution to security initiatives is unclear.
Saudi Arabia toward Bangladesh
+40Saudi Arabia has provided financial support for Bangladesh and has maintained large-scale recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, alongside bilateral investment commitments and agreements. Cooperation is significant, but concerns about recruitment practices and migrant-worker treatment remain.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has durable foundations in labor migration and recurring financial and diplomatic cooperation. Saudi-backed security initiatives and bilateral investment agreements add to this engagement. Worker-protection concerns and uncertainty over the implementation of investment commitments qualify the partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia maintain substantial cooperation centered on labor migration, investment and diplomatic engagement. Bangladesh has participated in Saudi-led and Saudi-backed security initiatives, while Saudi Arabia has provided financial support and expanded opportunities for Bangladeshi workers. Cooperation is tempered by recurring concerns over migrant workers’ recruitment conditions and treatment.
Areas of tension
- Recruitment costs and working conditions for Bangladeshi migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
- Protection and treatment of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia.
- Uncertainty over the realization of announced Saudi investment commitments.
Key developments
Bangladesh joined the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.
Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh signed agreements and announced major investment commitments during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh reached an agreement concerning the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and scale of Saudi investment commitments to Bangladesh are unclear.
- The extent of practical cooperation through security initiatives is uncertain.
- The effectiveness of measures to protect Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia remains unclear.