Bangladeshi immigrants rank 19th in list of taking government assistance in US

US President Donald Trump has released a list of countries which are receiving the most government assistance among immigrants living in the United States.

Bangladeshi immigrants rank 19th in this list, with 54.8 percent of families dependent on various benefits from the US government.

He shared the list on his social media platform 'Truth Social' on Sunday (January 4) under the title 'Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin'.

Bangladesh ranks 19th in the list prepared with information on immigrants from 120 countries and regions.

Four other South Asian countries are named in the list. Among them, Bhutan is at the top - 81.4 percent of the country's immigrant families receive financial assistance from the US government. In addition, Afghanistan is in sixth place (68.1 percent of households), Pakistan is in 60th place (40.2 percent of households) and Nepal is in 90th place (34.8 percent of households).

India and Sri Lanka are not on this list, meaning that immigrant families from those two countries receive relatively little government assistance.

A 2025 report by the US non-profit research organization Pew Research Center said that the number of Bangladeshi immigrants in the United States has increased significantly in the last two decades. While the number of Bangladeshis was only 40,000 in 2000, it has increased to about 270,000 in 2023. The population has increased by about 569 percent during this period.

However, income has not increased in line with population growth. According to 2023 data, the average annual income of a Bangladeshi family in the United States is $78,400, while the average income of Asian families overall is $150,600. In terms of personal income, the average income of Bangladeshis ($35,400) is much lower than the overall Asian average ($52,400).

Bangladeshis also lag behind in terms of poverty rates. While the overall poverty rate among Asians living in the United States is 10 percent, it is 14 percent for Bangladeshis. According to the Pew Research Center, this relatively high poverty rate has likely increased Bangladeshis' dependence on government assistance.

According to the list shared by Trump, the countries where immigrant families receive the highest rates of government benefits include Bhutan (81.4%), Yemen (75.2%), Somalia (71.9%), Marshall Islands (71.4%), Dominican Republic (68.1%), Afghanistan (68.1%), Congo (66%), Guinea (65.8%), Samoa (63.4%), and Cape Verde (63.1%).

On the other hand, the countries and regions with the lowest rates of government benefits include Bermuda (25.5%), Saudi Arabia (25.7%), Israel/Palestine (25.9%), Argentina (26.2%), South America (26.7%), Korea (27.2%), Zambia (28%), Portugal (28.2%), Kenya (28.5%) and Lithuania (29.2%).