The year 1976 was the 5th year after the independence of Bangladesh. It was also the year when Gen Ziaur Rahman consolidated his power and proceeded to become the President.
| 71,652,386 | ||
| Population density (per km2) | 550.5 | |
| Population growth (annual %) | 2.2% | |
| Male to Female Ratio (every 100 Female) | 106.4 | |
| Urban population (% of total) | 10.7% | |
| Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) | 44.9 | |
| Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) | 17.1 | |
| Mortality rate, under 5 (per 1,000 live births) | 214 | |
| Life expectancy at birth, total (years) | 49.4 | |
| Fertility rate, total (births per woman) | 6.8 |
| Current US$ | Current BDT | % of GDP | |||
| GDP | $10.1 billion | BDT150.2 billion | |||
| GDP growth (annual %) | 5.7% | ||||
| GDP per capita | $141.2 | BDT2,097 | |||
| Agriculture, value added | $5.3 billion | BDT78.0 billion | 51.9% | ||
| Industry, value added | $1.5 billion | BDT21.7 billion | 14.4% | ||
| Services, etc., value added | $3.4 billion | BDT50.5 billion | 33.6% | ||
| Balance of Payment | |||||
| Current US$ | Current BDT | % of GDP | |||
| Current account balance | style="text-align: right;" | -$276.3 million | style="text-align: right;" | -2.7% | |
| Imports of goods and services | $947.9 million | BDT26.5 billion | 17.6% | ||
| Exports of goods and services | $467.3 million | BDT7.1 billion | 4.7% | ||
| Foreign direct investment, net inflows | $5.4 million | 0.1% | |||
| Personal remittances, received | $18.8 million | 0.2% | |||
| Total reserves (includes gold) at year end | $288.9 million | ||||
| Total reserves in months of imports | 3.5 | ||||
In the year 1976, the first year of the award, 9 individuals were awarded Ekushey Padak in recognition of their contribution to different fields: