The coastal areas of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta are acknowledged hotspots of environmental and social concerns. This reflects a large, mainly rural population of 56.7 million, which is exposed to a range of natural hazards exacerbated by climate change, sea-level rise and subsidence. There are high levels of poverty and limited social well-being, including poor access to education, health, drinking water, and sanitation facilities. A spatial assessment of social vulnerability can indicate which communities are more susceptible to environmental hazards, while a temporal assessment may indicate how such vulnerability is changing due to development and other drivers. This study provides the first analysis of social vulnerability across the entire coastal delta within Bangladesh and India. It uses consistent and common secondary data at the sub-district level for two time periods: 2001 and 2011. These are used to construct a socio-economic vulnerability index across the region using Principal Component Analysis. Three main conclusions emerge. Firstly, there is a cross-shore social vulnerability gradient across the whole delta, with more vulnerable people living near the coast. Here, the benefits of access to marine fisheries are not apparent. Secondly, non-agricultural development and economic expansion have reduced the vulnerability significantly, showing its benefits. Lastly, despite general positive development trends, shocks due to major cyclone landfall appear to have enhanced vulnerability in the impacted areas. Further comprehensive analysis across the whole delta is recommended to improve our understanding of the common threats and possible solutions.

恒河-布拉马普特拉-梅格纳河三角洲的沿海地区是公认的环境和社会关注热点。这反映了一个庞大的农村人口，主要是5670万，由于气候变化，海平面上升和沉陷而加剧了一系列自然灾害。那里的贫困程度很高，社会福祉也很有限，包括获得教育，保健，饮用水和卫生设施的机会不足。对社会脆弱性的空间评估可以表明哪些社区更容易受到环境危害的影响，而对时间的评估则可以表明这种脆弱性如何由于发展和其他驱动因素而发生变化。这项研究首次分析了孟加拉国和印度整个沿海三角洲的社会脆弱性。它在两个时间段（即2001年和2011年）在街道一级使用一致且通用的辅助数据。这些数据用于通过主成分分析构建整个地区的社会经济脆弱性指数。得出三个主要结论。首先，整个三角洲存在跨岸社会脆弱性梯度，更多的脆弱人群居住在沿海地区。在这里，获得海洋渔业的好处并不明显。其次，非农业发展和经济扩张大大降低了脆弱性，显示出其益处。最后，尽管总体上出现了积极的发展趋势，但由于重大的气旋登陆造成的冲击似乎增加了受灾地区的脆弱性。