The death toll in April's Bangladesh garment factory collapse has now soared past 1,000. It's been called the worst industrial disaster in the country's history.
But it's hardly the first.
These disasters are becoming more common as infrastructure ages.
Meanwhile, working conditions and pay for the Bangladeshis who work in these clothing factories are among the world's worst.
Bangladesh has become the world's second-largest clothing exporter, in part because companies have moved production there to take advantage of shockingly low wages and the lightest regulations in the world.
Many U.S. and European retailers import clothing from Bangladesh, including popular brands such as H&M and Benetton.
The low prices we pay for these clothes are tied directly to the low wages and working conditions of the Bangladeshis who make them.
The garment industry is huge in Bangladesh, accounting for 80% of the country's exports last year. These exports total $20 billion.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
The women pictured here work 10-hour days and make $57 per month. Assuming a 50-hour week, that's 29 cents an hour. The minimum wage for garment workers is $38 per month.
Source: Reuters
Western brands have been making clothes for cheap in emerging markets for centuries. These days Bangladesh is the place with the lowest wages.
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