Bhutan People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

857,423 (July 2021 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.)

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/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 43% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

203,000 THIMPHU (capital) (2018)

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.)

Maternal mortality rate

183 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 35.99 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 38.49 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 33.37 deaths/1,000 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

65.6% (2010)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99.3% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.7% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

3.1% (2018)

Physicians density

0.42 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 87.5% of population

rural: 72.1% of population

total: 78.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 12.5% of population

rural: 27.9% of population

total: 21.7% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2020)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,300 (2020)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.4% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

12.7% (2010)

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: 14 years (2018)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 10.7%

male: 8.2%

female: 12.7% (2015 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Bhutan on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bhutan 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bhutan 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.