Map of Bhutan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Following Britain’s victory in the 1865 Duar War, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding land to British India. Ugyen WANGCHUCK - who had served as the de facto ruler of an increasingly unified Bhutan and had improved relations with the British toward the end of the 19th century - was named king in 1907. Three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. Bhutan negotiated a similar arrangement with independent India in 1949. The Indo-Bhutanese Treaty of Friendship returned to Bhutan a small piece of the territory annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. Under a succession of modernizing monarchs beginning in the 1950s, Bhutan joined the UN in 1971 and slowly continued its engagement beyond its borders.


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Location: Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates: 27 30 N, 90 30 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 38,394 km²
Land: 38,394 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland; about one-half the size of Indiana

Land boundaries
Total: 1,136 km
Border countries: (2) China 477 km; , India 659 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Elevation
Highest point: Gangkar Puensum 7,570 m
Lowest point: Drangeme Chhu 97 m
Mean elevation: 2,220 m

Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate

Land use
Agricultural land: 13.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 2.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)
Forest: 85.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 0.9% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 320 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Brahmaputra (shared with India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China) - 3,969 km

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 17 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 318 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 78 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's Bhutanese name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season

Geography
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes


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Population: 857,423 (July 2021 est.)
Growth rate: 0.99% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 8.2% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Bhutanese

Ethnic groups: Ngalop (also known as Bhote) 50%, ethnic Nepali 35% (predominantly Lhotshampas), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Languages: Sharchopkha 28%, Dzongkha (official) 24%, Lhotshamkha 22%, other 26% (includes foreign languages) (2005 est.)

Religions: Lamaistic Buddhist 75.3%, Indian- and Nepali-influenced Hinduism 22.1%, other 2.6% (2005 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.52% (male 98,113/female 93,740)
15-24 years: 17.77% (male 70,768/female 68,211)
25-54 years: 44.72% (male 184,500/female 165,374)
55-64 years: 6.39% (male 26,714/female 23,280)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 26,797/female 24,821) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.1
Youth dependency ratio: 36.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 9
Potential support ratio: 11.1 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 29.1 years
Male: 29.6 years
Female: 28.6 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.99% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 16.17 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 6.28 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 43% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 203,000 THIMPHU (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion; limited access to potable water; wildlife conservation; industrial pollution; waste disposal
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 35.32 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.26 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 1.11 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 183 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 35.99 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 38.49 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 33.37 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.5 years
Male: 70.1 years
Female: 72.98 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.3% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 99.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.7% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.1% (2018)

Physicians density: 0.42 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 87.5% of population
Improved rural: 72.1% of population
Improved total: 78.3% of population
Unimproved urban: 12.5% of population
Unimproved rural: 27.9% of population
Unimproved total: 21.7% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2020)
People living with hivaids: 1,300 (2020)
Deaths: <100 (2020)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 6.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 6.9% of GDP (2018)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 66.6%
Male: 75%
Female: 57.1% (2017)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2018)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 10.7%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 8.2%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 12.7% (2015 est.)


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
Conventional short form: Bhutan
Local long form: Druk Gyalkhap
Local short form: Druk Yul
Etymology: named after the Bhotia, the ethnic Tibetans who migrated from Tibet to Bhutan; 'Bod' is the Tibetan name for their land; the Bhutanese name 'Druk Yul' means 'Land of the Thunder Dragon'

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Thimphu
Geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 38 E
Time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the origins of the name are unclear; the traditional explanation, dating to the 14th century, is that 'thim' means 'dissolve' and 'phu' denotes 'high ground' to express the meaning of 'dissolving high ground,' in reference to a local deity that dissolved before a traveler's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which the present city stands

Administrative divisions: 20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Dagana, Gasa, Haa, Lhuentse, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatshel, Punakha, Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse, Sarpang, Thimphu, Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse, Trongsa, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, Zhemgang

Dependent areas

Independence: 17 December 1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king); 8 August 1949 (Treaty of Friendship with India maintains Bhutanese independence)

National holiday: National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)

Constitution
History: previous governing documents were various royal decrees; first constitution drafted November 2001 to March 2005, ratified 18 July 2008
Amendments: proposed as a motion by simple majority vote in a joint session of Parliament; passage requires at least a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session of the next Parliament and assent by the king

Legal system: civil law based on Buddhist religious law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descentonly: the father must be a citizen of Bhutan
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14 December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the throne on 14 December 2006 to his son
Head of government: Prime Minister Lotay TSHERING (since 7 November 2018)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers or Lhengye Zhungtshog members nominated by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister and approved by the National Assembly; members serve 5-year terms
Elections and appointments: the monarchy is hereditary but can be removed by a two-thirds vote of Parliament; leader of the majority party in Parliament is nominated as the prime minister, appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament or Chi Tshog consists of:
non-partisan National Council or Gyelyong Tshogde (25 seats; 20 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 5 members appointed by the king; members serve 5-year terms)
National Assembly or Tshogdu (47 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies in a two-round majoritarian voting system; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: National Council election last held on 20 April 2018 (next to be held in 2023)
National Assembly - first round held on 15 September 2018 and second round held on 18 October 2018 (next to be held in 2023)
Election results: National Council - seats by party - independent 20 (all candidates ran as independents); composition - men 23, women 2, percent of women 8%
National Assembly - first round - percent of vote by party - DNT 31.9%, DPT 30.9%, PDP 27.4%, BKP 9.8%; second round - percent of vote by party -  NA; seats by party - DNT 30, DPT 17; composition - men 40, women 7, percent of women 14.9%; note - total Parliament percent of women 12.5%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction in constitutional matters
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the National Judicial Commission, a 4-member body to include the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly, the attorney general, the Chief Justice of Bhutan and the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; other judges (drangpons) appointed by the monarch from among the High Court judges selected by the National Judicial Commission; chief justice serves a 5-year term or until reaching age 65 years, whichever is earlier; the 4 other judges serve 10-year terms or until age 65, whichever is earlier
Subordinate courts: High Court (first appellate court); District or Dzongkhag Courts; sub-district or Dungkhag Courts

Political parties and leaders: Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party or BKP
Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT [Pema GYAMTSHO] (Druk Chirwang Tshogpa or DCT merged with DPT in March 2018)
People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tshering TOBGAY]
United Party of Bhutan (Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa) or DNT [Lotay TSHERING]

International organization participation: ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: none; the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has consular jurisdiction in the US; the permanent representative to the UN is Doma TSHERING (since 13 September 2017); address: 343 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10,017; telephone [1] (212) 682-2,268; FAX [1] (212) 661-0551; email consulate.pmbny@mfa.gov.bt
In the us consulate(s)general: New York
From the us embassy: none; frequent informal contact is maintained via the US embassy in New Delhi (India) and Bhutan's Permanent Mission to the UN

Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side; the dragon, called the Druk (Thunder Dragon), is the emblem of the nation; its white color stands for purity and the jewels in its claws symbolize wealth; the background colors represent spiritual and secular powers within Bhutan: the orange is associated with Buddhism, while the yellow denotes the ruling dynasty

National symbols: thunder dragon known as Druk Gyalpo; national colors: orange, yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Druk tsendhen' (The Thunder Dragon Kingdom)
Lyrics and music: Gyaldun Dasho Thinley DORJI/Aku TONGMI
Note: adopted 1953

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 7.4% (2017 est.)

7.3% (2016 est.)

6.2% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 58% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 16.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 47.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 26% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -48% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 16.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 41.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 42% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, rice, maize, potatoes, roots/tubers, oranges, areca nuts, chillies/peppers, spices, ginger

Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 397,900 (2017 est.)
Note: major shortage of skilled labor
By occupation agriculture: 58%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 22% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2017 est.)

3.2% (2016 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 10.7%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 8.2%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 12.7% (2015 est.)

Population below poverty line: 8.2% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 37.4 (2017 est.)

38.1 (2007)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.8%
Highest 10: 30.6% (2012)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $655.3 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $737.4 million (2017 est.)
Note: the Government of India finances nearly one-quarter of Bhutan's budget expenditures
Surplus or deficit: $-3.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 27.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 106.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

114.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 1.89% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.8% (2017 est.)

7.6% (2016 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$547 million (2017 est.)

-$621 million (2016 est.)

Exports: $790 million note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$780 million note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$790 million note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: India 94% (2019)
Commodities: iron alloys, dolomite, refined iron, cement, silicon carbides (2019)

Imports: $1.19 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$1.23 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$1.25 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: India 85%, Thailand 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, iron products, delivery trucks, cars, wood charcoal (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.206 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.127 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $2.671 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$2.355 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 7.883 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 2.184 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: $5.763 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports: 84 million kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 1.632 million kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 1% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 99% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption: 3,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 3,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (2016 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 22,987 (2020)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2.98 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 745,137
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 96.57 (2019 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: state-owned TV station established in 1999; cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels; first radio station, privately launched in 1973, is now state-owned; 5 private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012)

Internet
Country code: .bt
Users total: 373,200 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 48.11% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,139 (2020)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces: Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard, an air wing); National Militia; Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs: Royal Bhutan Police (2021)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; militia training is compulsory for males aged 20-25, over a 3-year period; in 2021, the Royal Bhutan Army graduated from a year-long training course the first batch of 150 women to be allowed to serve in combat roles; previously, women were allowed to serve in medical and other non-combat roles (2021)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 275,849 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 690,000 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: A5

Airports
Total: 2 (2013)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2012)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 12,205 km (2017)
Urban: 437 km (2017)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the most contentious of which lie in Bhutan's west along China’s Chumbi salient

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs