World Factbook
Bhutan
Druk Gyalkhap
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
73.4% (2022 est.)
female
57% (2022 est.)
total population
64.9% (2022 est.)
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.08 male(s)/female
total population
1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
1.06 male(s)/female
Birth rate
15.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
31.1 years
total
31.2 years (2025 est.)
female
30.3 years
Population
male
461,679
total
892,877 (2025 est.)
female
431,198
Nationality
noun
Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective
Bhutanese
Tobacco use
male
26.1% (2025 est.)
total
18.5% (2025 est.)
female
9.8% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
44.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
23.1% (male 104,771/female 99,981)
15-64 years
70.2% (male 322,497/female 298,324)
65 years and over
6.7% (2024 est.) (male 30,397/female 28,576)
Ethnic groups
Ngalop (also known as Bhote) 50%, ethnic Nepali 35% (predominantly Lhotshampas), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
42.1 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
32.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
10.3 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
9.7 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.55 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
3.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
6.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.75 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 99.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
5.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
22.2% national budget (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
24.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total
23 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
23.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.93% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.85 (2025 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
male
72.5 years
female
75 years
total population
73.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
47 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 85.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 87.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 91.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 14.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 12.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 8.9% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
203,000 THIMPHU (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.4% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
62% (2022 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
8.7% (2023 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
12 years (2022 est.)
total
13 years (2022 est.)
female
14 years (2022 est.)