Figures last checked: 2026-08-10
Land measurement in Bangladesh
Katha, bigha, shotangsho, kani and acre — one set of figures for the whole country, with sources.
Short answer
One katha in Bangladesh is 720 square feet, and one bigha is 20 katha — 14,400 square feet — nationwide. Unlike India, the bigha does not change from region to region here, because the whole country inherited a single Bengal revenue system. An acre holds 3.025 bigha, or 60.5 katha. Note though that official records are kept in shotangsho, known as decimal, and in acres.
The unit ladder
From chatak to hectare, each one also in decimal — because decimal is the language of the paperwork.
| Unit | Square feet | Decimal | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatakছটাক | 45 | 0.1033 | 16 to a katha — the smallest unit in everyday use |
| Shotangsho (decimal)শতাংশ | 435.6 | 1 | Exactly 1/100 acre. This is the unit land records actually use |
| Kathaকাঠা | 720 | 1.653 | 20 to a bigha, 80 square yards — the unit plots are sold in |
| Bighaবিঘা | 14,400 | 33.058 | 20 katha, 1,600 square yards — uniform nationwide, unlike India |
| Kaniকানি | 17,424 | 40 | Regional: commonly 40 decimal in the Chittagong belt, but 120 decimal elsewhere(regional) |
| Acreএকর | 43,560 | 100 | Fixed worldwide at 43,560 sq ft; 100 decimal; 3.025 bigha |
| Hectareহেক্টর | 1,07,639 | 247.11 | 2.471 acres — used in survey and statistical returns |
Your paperwork will not say katha
Land in Bangladesh is bought and sold in katha and bigha, but khatian, mutation and deed documents record the area in shotangsho — decimal — and acres. Reconcile the two figures before any money changes hands.Bigha is not a standardised unit
Commonly-cited approximate figure — confirm the exact local value with your state or district land revenue department before any transaction.Worked conversions
Each page covers both directions, with the full unit table.
- Katha to Shotangsho (decimal) in BangladeshThe conversion that matters for paperwork: deeds and khatian are written in decimal, plots are sold in katha.
- Katha to Acre in BangladeshHow many katha make an acre, and what a katha is worth as a fraction of one.
- Bigha to Acre in BangladeshUniform across Bangladesh, unlike India — one figure, not thirteen.
- Bigha to Katha in BangladeshThe cleanest relationship in the system, and the one everything else is built on.
- Katha to Square feet in BangladeshWhat a katha looks like as a floor plan — the number builders and buyers use.
- Kani to Acre in BangladeshThe one Bangladeshi unit that genuinely varies by region, so treat any single figure with care.
Sources
These are reference sources, not gazette notifications. For any specific plot the authority is its khatian.
Need the India figures?
There the bigha changes by state, so the calculator asks which one you mean.
Commonly-cited approximate figure — confirm the exact local value with your state or district land revenue department before any transaction.