Most households have no savings for
covering unexpected costs (figure 30).
Ninety-eight percent state that their
household’s cash savings are under
5,000 taka. The lack of a cash safety
net for most families underscores
the vulnerability of camp residents to
shocks and unanticipated life events.
Figure 30. Household sav ings
NEWLY ARRIVED REFUGEES
REGISTERED REFUGEES
81%
73%
17%
18%
9%
2%
No
savings
BDT
1–5,000
> BDT
5,000
No
savings
BDT
1–5,000
> BDT
5,000
Figure 31. Estimated cost of liv ing by
income level and refugee status
NEWLY ARRIVED REFUGEES
REGISTERED REFUGEES
50%
43%
31%
19%
BDT
0–5,000
BDT
5,001–
10,000
The data reveals distinctions in
the expenditures and livelihoods
of different types of households.
Registered refugee households, which
have had more time to establish secure
livelihoods, report higher monthly
expenses and income in comparison
to newly arrived households. Higherearning households also report that it
costs more to live than those with no
or little income (figure 31).
> BDT
10,000
BDT 0–849 PER MONTH
33%
24%
BDT
0–5,000
BDT
5,001–
10,000
> BDT
10,000
BDT 850–8,500 PER MONTH
48%
48%
> BDT 8,500 PER MONTH
52%
48%
37%
26%
22%
15%
4%
BDT
0–5,000
BDT
5,001–
10,000
> BDT
10,000
BDT
0–5,000
BDT
5,001–
10,000
> BDT
10,000
BDT
0–5,000
BDT
5,001–
10,000
> BDT
10,000
Some youth have escaped the camps as a strategy to help improve their family’s futures
Noor is a 27-year old registered refugee who grew up in Kutupalong refugee camp. He described his family’s strategies to
contend with enduring hardship, a story that highlights how hardship, debt, and emigration intersect.
Starting when he was seven years old, Noor spent his childhood carrying loads of firewood and rations. He earned one to four
taka per load (just two to nine cents),31 enabling his family to eat lunch on the days he worked—a meal they would otherwise
skip. Once he secured a job in a teashop in the nearby town of Court Bazar, which paid 900 taka per month (less than 20
dollars), Noor was able to supplement his family’s food rations and finance his studies with private tutors. As he continued
30