WorldRisk

Which passport do you hold?

Risk to a traveller depends on their nationality. A country that sanctions your destination, or is sanctioned by it, changes how you are treated on arrival. Choosing here adjusts every score on the site.

We hold travel advice written for four nationalities so far. Selecting anything else shows the neutral baseline, and every page says so where it applies rather than presenting it as an assessment made for you.

Kept in your browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere, and you can change it at any time from the header.

All countries

Bangladesh

44Caution44 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49good confidence(7/7 dimensions)
What this score means
Extreme75 to 100
Severe and systematic. Device search, interception and detention over online activity are documented rather than theoretical. Reconsider what you carry and what you say.
High50 to 74
Substantial and consistently evidenced measures. Device inspection, monitored networks or restricted services should be expected rather than treated as unlikely.
Caution25 to 49
Some risk, and manageable with precautions. Measures are evidenced but are narrow, inconsistently applied, or the picture is mixed.
Low0 to 24
Ordinary precautions. No systematic device search, network restriction or prosecution of visitors for online speech is evidenced.

Government travel advice is written for one citizenry, so the same country carries a different assessment depending on your passport. Change it in the header.

Showing the baseline, which weights every issuer equally. No government in our corpus publishes travel advice written for you, so this is not addressed to you specifically.

Dimensions

Each dimension is scored independently, because the traveller who cares about legal exposure for what they have posted is often not the one carrying client data. Higher means more risk.

Speech and legal exposure

What legal risk attaches to what I have said online, or say while I am there?

71High71 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

good confidence9 independent sources

Why this score (16 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored BGD 2 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • Freedom House 2026 scored BGD 2 of 4 on free and independent media.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 2.54 of 4 on how routinely the government censors political content on social media, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 1.28 of 4 on how often people are arrested for political content they posted online, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • Bangladesh - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

    US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-07-30 · written for USA nationals

  • FCDO advice for Bangladesh: avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.

    UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-10-09 · written for GBR nationals

  • Bangladesh: Exercise a high degree of caution

    Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals

  • Bangladesh (Bangladesch): No travel warning in force

    Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-07 · written for DEU nationals

  • The ban includes prohibitions on meetings, publications, and online speech supporting the party.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-09-22 · extracted by language model

  • According to Human Rights Watch, on 31st March 2026, Azizul Haque, a Jamaat party supporter, was arrested in Muktagachha, northern Bangladesh, after ruling party supporters complained about a controversial depiction of the prime minister that was shared on Haque’s Facebook page.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-05-28 · extracted by language model

  • According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on 15th December 2025, police opened an investigation against Alamgir and three other individuals under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing the suspects of spreading propaganda in talk shows and social media posts, and conspiring to rehabilitate the banned Awami League party.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-01-20 · extracted by language model

  • On December 15, police opened an investigation against Alamgir and three other individuals under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act , accusing the suspects of spreading propaganda in talk shows and social media posts, and conspiring to rehabilitate the banned Awami League party, according to multiple news reports .

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-12-17 · extracted by language model

  • The new law contains many contentious clauses that carry the risk of being exploited and misused, potentially targeting human rights advocates, journalists, opposition figures, and individuals expressing dissent or government criticism.

    Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search · observed 2023-09-19 · extracted by language model

  • Police detained 20-year-old student Sifat Abdullah in Gazipur on 3rd September 2026 after his Facebook video criticising electricity bills and using derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and people associated with the government, went viral.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-09-22 · extracted by language model

  • Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker and employee at the Pioneer Knit Composite factory, was beaten, tied to a tree and brutally assaulted to death on 18th December 2025 on allegations of blasphemy.

    CIVICUS Monitor country updates · observed 2026-01-20 · extracted by language model

  • On May 14 , the ICT in the capital Dhaka showed Rupa, a former chief reporter and presenter at privately owned Ekattor TV, and Babu, the channel’s founder and former editor-in-chief, arrested in a case linked to the May 2013 crackdown on a rally by Islamist group Hefajat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar.

    Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search · observed 2026-05-15 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

1 excluded source
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-06-26: aged out after 2 years.

Network threat

How hostile is the network environment to a foreign visitor, from state actors and criminals alike?

52High52 of 100, High band, 50 to 74

moderate confidence4 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 50% of full strength.

Why this score (4 sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Surveillance and interception

How comprehensively are communications intercepted, retained, and monitored, and is commercial spyware in use?

49Caution49 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

good confidence4 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 59% of full strength.

Why this score (6 sources)

  • Freedom House 2026 scored BGD 2 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.

    Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 3.02 of 4 on how comprehensively the government monitors social media and private online communication, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 2.70 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer. This measures what privacy law permits rather than what monitoring is practised, so it is read here as a constraint on interception rather than a measurement of it.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025 scored BGD 0.08 of 1 on whether freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy is effectively guaranteed, a measure built from expert assessments of warrantless interception of communications.

    World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6 · observed 2025-01-01

  • During the July-August uprising, and in the decade leading up to it, the use of state and security agencies to surveil ordinary citizens became so ubiquitous that people self-censored on public technology platforms and migrated to private, encrypted messaging services.

    The Daily Star (Bangladesh), via a site scoped search · observed 2024-11-24 · extracted by language model

  • As per official sources, the Cyber Security Agency will be responsible for monitoring online communication and countering cyber crimes.

    The Daily Star (Bangladesh), via a site scoped search · observed 2023-11-23 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

2 excluded sources
  • Middle East Eye, via a site scoped search, observed 2023-01-10: aged out after 4 years.
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-06-26: aged out after 2 years.

Connectivity continuity

How likely am I to lose access to the internet, or to the specific tools I depend on?

39Caution39 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

good confidence9 independent sources

Why this score (22 sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

5 excluded sources
  • Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-20: aged out after 2 years.
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-05: aged out after 2 years.
  • MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-05: aged out after 2 years.
  • MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-04: aged out after 2 years.
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-07-26: aged out after 2 years.

Border device risk

How likely is my device to be searched, imaged, or seized at the border, and can I be compelled to unlock it?

33Caution33 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

good confidence5 independent sources

No reports were found of devices being searched, imaged or seized at this border, or of travellers being compelled to unlock them. The score below is drawn from general indicators for this country rather than from anything observed about this risk, so it describes an absence of reports rather than evidence that the risk is absent.

What the score rests on (5 indirect sources)

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Encryption and VPN legality

Are VPNs and strong encryption lawful, and can I be required to install an application or hand over keys?

33Caution33 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

moderate confidence3 independent sources

Why this score (3 sources)

  • Minimal restrictions. The Digital Security Act enables the government of Bangladesh to make rules in relation to, among other things, decryption. None, however, appear to have been made.

    Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies · observed 2019-06-01

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 1.44 of 4 on whether the government regulates the internet in a way consistent with international human rights standards, where higher is freer. This does not establish whether encryption or VPN use is lawful. It measures internet regulation in general, and is used as indirect evidence because the only survey that reads encryption law directly was published in 2019.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • OONI recorded no confirmed blocking across 13,966 measurements of anonymity and censorship circumvention tools in BGD over the 90 days to 2026-10-16, with 360 further results inconclusive.

    Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data · observed 2026-10-16

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Data jurisdiction

What happens to corporate or client data I carry into the jurisdiction?

30Caution30 of 100, Caution band, 25 to 49

good confidence3 independent sources

Why this score (3 sources)

  • V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BGD 2.70 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer.

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31

  • Throughout the drafting process, civil society organisations have raised concerns that certain provisions of the ordinance, if left unamended, could undermine the right to privacy, restrict cross-border data flows, and centralise disproportionate power in the hands of the government and regulatory authorities.

    ARTICLE 19, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-08-26 · extracted by language model

  • And in early January 2026, the government approved amendments that, largely removed broad data localisation requirements for technology companies and dropped jail terms for violations by tech firms.

    The Daily Star (Bangladesh), via a site scoped search · observed 2026-01-21 · extracted by language model

Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).

Trend

02550751002026-08-162026-10-16

The overall score is up 3.4 points over 61 days, from 41 to 44.4. Most movement is the event overlay decaying rather than anything happening: a news signal loses half its weight every three weeks, so a score drifts back toward its structural baseline on its own. A step that holds is the one worth reading.

Check this yourself

These are not inputs to the score for Bangladesh. They are where to look if you want to test what is above against something we did not use.

Sources

This assessment draws on 17 sources: ARTICLE 19, via a site scoped search; Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise; CIVICUS Monitor country updates; Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search; Freedom House, Freedom in the World; Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access; Georgia Tech Internet Intelligence Lab, Internet Outage Detection and Analysis; Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories; Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies; Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search; International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index; Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data; The Daily Star (Bangladesh), via a site scoped search; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice; US Department of State, Travel Advisories; V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project; World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6. Every contributing claim is quoted with its origin and date above. Model version 0.12.0, computed 2026-10-16.

If something here is wrong, say so. Corrections are handled in public, and we correct because the evidence is wrong, not because someone objects.