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Bangladesh will unveil its 55th national budget on Thursday, marking another milestone in the country's fiscal history that spans more than five decades.
Since independence, the size of the national budget has expanded dramatically in response to growing development needs, economic transformation and rising public expenditure.
Data on past budgets show that independent Bangladesh announced its first national budget for fiscal year 1972-73 on 30 June 1972. Then Finance Minister Tajuddin Ahmad presented the budget, which totalled Tk786 crore.
Tajuddin presented three budgets in total in 1972, 1973 and 1974.
The final budget of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government came on 23 June 1975, when Finance Minister Dr Azizur Rahman Mallik placed the fiscal year 1975-76 budget. Within four years, the budget size had increased to Tk1,549.19 crore.
In subsequent years, former President Ziaur Rahman presented three budgets between 1976 and 1978. M Saifur Rahman presented two budgets in his first tenure as finance minister in 1979 and 1980, while Abul Maal Abdul Muhith presented two budgets in his first stint in 1982 and 1983.
M Syeduzzaman placed four budgets from 1984 to 1987, followed by Maj Gen (retd) Abdul Munim, who presented two budgets in 1988 and 1990. Saifur Rahman later returned to present five budgets between 1991 and 1995.
After the Awami League returned to power in June 1996, adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud presented an interim budget ahead of the national election.
Later that year, Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria presented the first budget of the Sheikh Hasina-led government for fiscal year 1996-97. The budget stood at Tk24,603 crore and grew to Tk42,306 crore by fiscal year 2000-01.
When the BNP-led government returned to office in October 2001, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman presented five consecutive budgets from 2002 to 2006.
During the caretaker government period, ABM Mirza Azizul Islam announced two budgets in 2007 and 2008.
After the Awami League-led Grand Alliance formed the government in 2009, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith presented the fiscal year 2009-10 budget on 11 June 2009. The budget size stood at Tk113,819 crore.
Muhith went on to present 10 budgets across two consecutive terms of the Grand Alliance government. His final budget for fiscal year 2018-19 reached Tk464,573 crore.
AHM Mustafa Kamal presented the first budget of the Awami League government's third term for fiscal year 2019-20. The budget size stood at Tk523,190 crore. His fifth and final budget for fiscal year 2023-24 reached Tk761,785 crore.
Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali presented the fiscal year 2024-25 budget, the last budget of the Awami League government before it left office. The budget size stood at Tk797,000 crore.
The outgoing fiscal year 2025-26 budget was announced on 2 June 2025, by former finance adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed through state-run television. The budget set total expenditure at Tk790,000 crore.
As Bangladesh prepares to unveil the FY2026-27 budget, the country's fiscal journey reflects the steady expansion of government spending from Tk786 crore in 1972 to nearly Tk8 lakh crore in recent years, mirroring the nation's economic growth and development ambitions.
