Prevalence, risk factors, comorbidities and awareness of chronic kidney disease in Bangladesh: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing public health concern worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. This systematic review and meta-analysis of CKD in Bangladesh examines its prevalence, risk factors, comorbidities, and awareness. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, BanglaJOL, BMC, Wiley Online Library, SpringerLink, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Studies published between 2010 and 2025 were considered for inclusion in the review. Data on CKD prevalence were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software v3.0. A total of 30 studies published between 2010 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria. The study estimated the pooled prevalence of CKD in Bangladesh across population-based and hospital-based studies, with high heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence was 21.89% (95%CI 16.59–27.18) in population-based settings and 26.22% (95%CI 16.18–36.25) in hospital-based settings. Rural populations showed numerically higher population-based prevalence (25.46%) than urban populations (17.05%), whereas hospital-based prevalence was numerically higher in urban populations (29.69%) than in rural–urban groups (12.17%). The findings suggest that CKD burden is high in Bangladesh. In addition, the present study identified several factors associated with CKD in Bangladesh, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lower economic and educational status, older age, and high dietary salt intake. Awareness of CKD was generally poor, particularly in rural populations. These findings indicate that CKD represents a significant and largely preventable health burden in Bangladesh for improved screening, awareness, and preventive strategies.