The Chittagong Hill Tracts lies in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh adjoining international boundaries with Myanmar on the southeast, the Indian states of Tripura on the north and Mizoram on the east. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, formally a single unified district was divided into three separate districts: Khagrachari, Bandarban, and Rangamati during the administrative reorganization in 1984.
In Bangladesh there are many tribal people living in Sylhet, Dinajpur, Cox's Bazar, Mymensingh, Rajshahi etc. But the majority of tribal people live in Chittagong Hill tracts. It is the home of eleven tribes, the most beautiful indigenous people of Bangladesh. In this hilly area of immense beauty, eleven ethnic groups such as Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tanchangya, Lushai, Pankho, Bawm, Mro, Khyang, Khumi and Chak live in harmony with nature. Among all of them the Chakma are the largest ethnic group in Bangladesh. The majority of them are Buddhists and the rest of them are Hindus, Christians etc. Also a good number of mainstream Bengali live in this area but their appearance, language and cultural traditions are markedly different from other Bengali-speaking people living in this area.
The tribal people of CHT lead an extremely interesting and attractive but simple life.[1] The tribal families are matriarchal and female is the head of a family. In their community the women are more hard-working than the male and basically they are the main productive force. The tribal people are extremely independent and self-confident. They grow their own food by Zum cultivation. Their girls weave their own cloths and they are very skillful in making beautiful handicrafts also. By selling the cloths and the handicrafts they earn some money and helps their family. The common feature is their way of life, which still speaks of their main occupation. Some of them still take pride in hunting with bows and arrows.
According to 2022 census, Bengalis are the largest ethnic group in Bandarban District (58.85%) and Khagrachhari District (51.07%) and second largest in Rangamati Hill District (42.42%) with almost equal to Chakma people (42.67%) .
They are largest ethnic group inNaikhongchhari Upazila(83.48%), Langadu Upazila(76.75%), Lama Upazila (76.22%), Matiranga Upazila (75.10%),Manikchhari Upazila (73.57%), Ramgarh Upazila (73.14%), Alikadam Upazila(60.64%), Bandarban Sadar Upazila (56.97%), Kaptai Upazila (55.31%), Rangamati Sadar Upazila (52.33%), Kaukhali Upazila(44.88%) and Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila(40.77%).
According to 2022 census, Chakmas are the largest ethnic group in Rangamati Hill District (42.67%) and second largest in Khagrachhari District (24.53%).
They are the largest ethnic group in Juraichhari Upazila (91.15%), Naniarchar Upazila(79.89%), Barkal Upazila (69.33%), Bagaichhari Upazila (66.19%), Dighinala Upazila (53.38%), Lakshmichhari Upazila(51.33%), Panchhari Upazila (44.04%) and Mahalchhari Upazila (43.52%).
| Upazila | District | Percentage of Chakma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juraichhari Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 91.15% | |
| Naniarchar Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 79.89% | |
| Barkal Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 69.33% | |
| Bagaichhari Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 66.19% | |
| Dighinala Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 53.38% | |
| Lakshmichhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 51.33% | |
| Panchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 44.04% | |
| Mahalchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 43.52% | |
| Rangamati Sadar Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 41.23% | |
| Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 27.13% | |
| Belaichhari Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 26.68% | |
| Kaukhali Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 25.92% | |
| Guimara Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 7.37% | |
| Matiranga Upazila | Khagrachhari District | align='center' | 3.12% |
| Ramgarh Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 2.77% | |
| Langadu Upazila | align='center' | 2.31% | |
| Kaptai Upazila | Rangamati Hill District | 2.25% | |
| Manikchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 1.93% | |
| Thanchi Upazila | Bandarban District | 1.67% | |
| Bandarban Sadar Upazila | Bandarban District | 1.49% | |
| Others | _ | <1% | |
According to 2022 census, Marmas are Second largest ethnic group in Bandarban District (17.49%), third largest in Rangamati Hill District (7.93%) and fourth largest in Khagrachhari District (10.39%)
According to 2022 census, Tripuras are mainly found in Khagrachhari District (13.79%), Bandarban District (4.69%) and Rangamati Hill District(1.90%).
They are the second largest ethnic group in Matiranga Upazila (18.68%) and Ramgarh Upazila (13.28%).
| Upazila | District | Percentage of Tripura [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanchi Upazila | Bandarban District | 21.27% | |
| Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 20.99% | |
| Panchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 19.36% | |
| Guimara Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 18.79% | |
| Matiranga Upazila | Khagrachhari District | align='center' | 18.68% |
| Ramgarh Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 13.28% | |
| Ruma Upazila | Bandarban District | 8.95% | |
| Rajasthali Upazila | Rangamati District | 8.16% | |
| Rowangchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 7.73% | |
| Dighinala Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 7.38% | |
| Belaichhari Upazila | Rangamati District | 6.08% | |
| Manikchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 5.60% | |
| Alikadam Upazila | Bandarban District | 5.41% | |
| Baghaichhari Upazila | Rangamati District | 5.13% | |
| Lama Upazila | Bandarban District | 4.12% | |
| Mahalchhari Upazila | Khagrachhari District | 3.97% | |
| Bandarban Sadar Upazila | Bandarban District | 1.59% | |
| Rangamati Sadar Upazila | Rangamati District | 1.50% | |
| Others | <1% | ||
According to 2022 census, Mru (Murong) are mainly found in Bandarban District(10.69%).
They are the second largest ethnic group in Alikadam Upazila(23.77%), Thanchi Upazila (23.57%) and Ruma Upazila (22%).
| Upazila | District | Percentage of Mru |
|---|---|---|
| Alikadam Upazila | Bandarban District | 23.77% |
| Thanchi Upazila | Bandarban District | 23.57% |
| Ruma Upazila | Bandarban District | 22.00% |
| Lama Upazila | Bandarban District | 7.72% |
| Bandarban Sadar Upazila | Bandarban District | 6.55% |
| Rowangchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 6.08% |
| Naikhongchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 3.08% |
According to 2022 census, Tanchangyas are mainly found in Rangamati Hill District(4.31%) and Bandarban District (3.09%).
They are the largest ethnic group in Belaichhari Upazila (38.77%) and second largest in Rowangchhari Upazila (14.39%).
| Upazila | District | Percentage of Tanchangya |
|---|---|---|
| Belaichhari Upazila | Rangamati District | 38.77% |
| Rajasthali Upazila | Rangamati District | 16.30% |
| Rowangchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 14.39% |
| Kaptai Upazila | Rangamati District | 12.42% |
| Bandarban Sadar Upazila | Bandarban District | 5.05% |
| Naikhongchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 3.77% |
| Juraichhari Upazila | Rangamati District | 3.33% |
| Alikadam Upazila | Bandarban District | 3.10% |
| Rangamati Sadar Upazila | Rangamati District | 2.38% |
| Kaukhali Upazila | Rangamati District | 1.02% |
| Others | <1% | |
According to 2022 census, there are 12,311 Bom in CHT.Among them, 11854(96.29%) Boms live in Bandarban District, constituting 2.46% of district's population.
They are third largest ethnic groups in Ruma Upazila(19.89%).
| Upazila | District | Percentage of Bom |
|---|---|---|
| Ruma Upazila | Bandarban District | 19.89% |
| Rowangchhari Upazila | Bandarban District | 6.79% |
| Bandarban Sadar Upazila | Bandarban District | 2.47% |
| Thanchi Upazila | Bandarban District | 2.30% |
| Belaichhari Upazila | Rangamati District | 1.21% |
| Others | <1% | |
According to 2022 census, there are 4,176 Khyang in Chittagong hill tracts. Almost 60%(2502) khyang live in Bandarban district and other 40%(1670) in Rangamati district .They form 5.10% in Rajasthali Upazila, 2.35% in Rowangchhari Upazila, 1.21% in Thanchi Upazila, 1.18% in Bandarban Sadar Upazila and <1% in neighboring Upazila's.
According to 2022 census, There are 2,725 Chak people in Chittagong Hill tract. Almost entire 2662(97.69%) Chaks live in Bandarban district and more specifically 2,329(85.29%) Chaks live in Naikhongchhari Upazila, constituting 3.05% of Upazila's population.
According to 2022 census, there are 3,291 Khumi people in Chittagong hill tracts. Almost entire 3287(98.68%) khumis live in Bandarban district.They form 6.14% in Thanchi Upazila, 2.74% in Ruma Upazila, 1.57% in Rowangchhari Upazila and <1% in neighboring Upazila's.
According to 2022 census, there are 1,458 Pankho people in Chittagong hill tracts. Almost entire 1,398(95.88%) Pankhos live in Rangamati district.They form 1.21% in Belaichhari Upazila.
According to 2022 census, there are 216 Lushei people in Chittagong hill tracts. Their population is in Rangamati district 147, Bandarban district 58 and Khagrachhari district 11.
According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Islam is the largest religion in CHT. But, tribes are mainly followers of Buddhism (41.74%). The percentages of Muslims are: Bandarban 52.68%, Khagrachari 46.56% and Rangamati 36.22%. Most of the Christian population is in Bandarban (9.78% of the population). Khagrachari (0.62%) and Rangamati (1.32%) have only small numbers.[4]
The culture of this tribal people is also very colorful. The greatest cultural festival of this people is the "Baisabi utsab". In Chittagong hill tracts all the tribal communities celebrate the festival in the same way. The only difference is the name. The Chakma calls it 'Biju', Tanchangya calls it Bishu, the Tripura calls it 'Baisu' and the Marma 'Sangrai' and the first 2-3 words of all the three names form the word 'Baisabi'. They celebrate the day from April 12 to 14 to say goodbye to the outgoing Bangla year and to welcome the New year.
In Chittagong Hill Tracts each tribe has its own dialect, distinctive dress, rites and rituals. But despite these distinctive features there are strong bonds between them. They are generally peace-loving, honest, and hospitable.[5]