Fact-Check Flattens Falsehoods on Bangladesh’s Global Power Ranking
Two conflicting claims regarding Bangladesh's global power ranking have recently gone viral on social media. One asserts that the interim government has elevated Bangladesh to the 47th most powerful country in just eight months, while the other claims that the nation has dropped from 40th to 47th position during the same period.
Both claims cite the U.S. News website as their source.
However, analysis of archived data from the U.S. News website reveals a different picture. The site typically publishes its annual rankings in September, based on surveys conducted between April and July of the same year. For instance, the 2023 rankings were published on September 6, based on surveys carried out between March 17 and June 12. In that report, Bangladesh ranked 40th in the “Power” category and 69th overall out of 87 countries.
Similarly, the 2022 rankings were released on September 27 that year, with survey data collected between April 30 and July 13. Bangladesh was then placed 44th in “Power” and 71st overall among 85 countries.
Fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner has reported that U.S. News is a U.S.-based media company known not only for its news coverage but also for publishing various analytical rankings. The ranking in question, which has sparked recent discussion, shows Bangladesh positioned 47th in the "Power" category out of 89 countries and 71st overall. However, this list was not published recently—it was released on September 10, 2024, based on surveys conducted from March 22 to May 23, 2024.
Therefore, the claim that Bangladesh reached the 47th position due to actions taken by the current interim government within eight months is misleading, as the survey and ranking were completed before this administration assumed office.
Additionally, the assertion that Bangladesh rose from the 123rd to the 47th position is factually incorrect. An archive review by Rumor Scanner confirms that Bangladesh was first included in the U.S. News rankings in 2022. The total number of countries listed in subsequent years was 85 in 2022, 87 in 2023, and 89 in 2024. At no point were there 123 countries in the rankings, making the claim of a 123rd position historically implausible.
The sudden resurfacing of this issue seems to trace back to a post made by an X (formerly Twitter) account named Global Statistics on the night of April 6, which falsely cited U.S. News as the source of a 2025 ranking. This post appears to have initiated the current wave of misinformation.
In conclusion, both claims—that Bangladesh advanced to 47th or declined to 47th within the last eight months—are inaccurate.
