POPULATION OF BHUTAN
Population: 782,318 (July 2020 estimated), one of the lowest on any country in the world. Compared with other countries in the world it ranks 165th. In the late 2000s the population of Bhutan was estimated to be around 800,000 if only citizens were counted but was thought to be 1.8 million if Nepalese immigrants and other minorities, and Bhutanese in refugee camps in India and Nepal were included. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020; “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
The population of Bhutan in 2005 was estimated by the United Nations to be 970,000, ranking it 151st in population among the 193 nations of the world. The projected population at that time for the year 2025 was 1,432,000. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007 =|=]
In 2002, when Bhutan's annual population growth rate was 2.19 percent, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bhutan projected that there would be 3.64 million people living in Bhutan by 2025, up from 1.91 million in 1998. Now projections are much lower in part because the population growth rate is only around on1 percent.
Population Estimates for Bhutan
Population estimates in Bhutan are imprecise in part because some people live in remote areas that are hard to reach by vehicle. There are also perhaps political reasons why accurate counts have not been done, or at least publicized. In the past estimates of Bhutan’s population have ranged between 600,000 and 1,700,000 people. In 1990, the government claimed there were 1.5 million people in Bhutan, but demographers believed that in fact there were really only about half that number.
Bhutan has traditionally been one of the world’s most isolated countries. In the 1970s nobody knew how many people lived there since no census had ever been taken. The Royal Government of Bhutan listed the country's population as 752,700 in 2003. According to The CIA World Fact book the "first modern census of Bhutan” was “conducted in 2005" but the results were not publicized.
In 1971, the king arbitrarily stated that the population of Bhutan was one million — when it was actually thought to be about 450,000 — because he believed his country needed at least that number to be admitted to the United Nations. He inflated the figures to weakened Nepalese.
Population figures are largely based on estimates. These estimates can vary greatly. The last published census was in 1969. Data the late 1980s listed the population of Bhutan at around 1.5 million. The population of Bhutan was estimated by the United Nations at 970,000 in 2005. The projected population for the year 2025 at that time was 1.4 million.
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”: “In 2000 the population of Bhutan was estimated at 2,005,222 by the CIA World Factbook. The UN Statistical Yearbook gave the population as 1,034,774. Giving a third figure, the World Bank World Development Report 2000/1 estimated the population at 782,000. The disparity between population estimates is caused by two different ways of counting people: the government of Bhutan's population estimate, the World Bank figure, is based upon those who have "official" citizenship, and the CIA estimate seems to account for those who claim such status or live in the country and may not be recognized by the government. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002 <=>]
“Another problem with such estimates is the limited number of statistical gathering mechanisms in Bhutan, partly due to the country's limited financial resources and infrastructure . As a result, statistical indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) or the quantity of telephones per capita are difficult to estimate. Clearly, the formulation of statistical averages depends upon which population estimate is used. To encourage comparative consistency, this entry indicates what population estimates are used to express particular statistical data. <=>
Population and Politics in Bhutan
Political reasons for not releasing accurate population numbers mainly involve the Nepalese in Bhutan. A survey in 1988 indicated that the Drukpas — Tibetan Buddhist Bhutanese — were in danger of being outnumbered by the mostly Hindu Nepalese.
The rapid growth of the Nepalese population in Bhutan towards the end of the twentieth century resulted in significant ethnic conflicts with the Buddhist majority. Some were descendants of Nepalese that had lived in Bhutan for generations. Others were recent arrivals: illegal immigrants according to the government. Officially, the government stated that 28 percent of the national population was Nepalese in the late 1980s, but unofficial estimates ran as high as 30 to 40 percent, and Nepalese were estimated to constitute a majority in southern Bhutan. The number of legal permanent Nepalese residents in the late 1980s may have been as few as 15 percent of the total population, however.
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”: “Uncertainty in population figures is also connected to Bhutan's ongoing problem with the Lhotshampa people (Bhutanese of Nepalese origin), who have lost their citizenship or are simply not recognized due to a series of nationality-specific laws enacted in the 1980s. The government claims that a large number of the Lhotshampa are illegal immigrants who threaten the cohesion of traditional Bhutanese society, while the Lhotshampa argue that they are rightful citizens. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002 <=>]
“Countries and Their Cultures” reports: “Bhutanese dissident groups have argued that the population is, in fact, much bigger than government estimates. These groups contend that the Bhutanese government dramatically undercounted the number of ethnic Nepalese in the country as part of a campaign to limit the influence of this fast-growing minority population. Ethnic conflicts between the Buddhist majority and the largely Hindu Nepalese in the late 1980s and early 1990s forced tens of thousands Nepalese into refugee camps in Nepal and India. The Bhutanese government does not recognize the citizenship of the majority of these refugees, estimated at 112,000" in 2001. [Source:“Countries and Their Cultures”, Gale Group Inc., 2001]
History of Bhutan’s Population and Population Estimates
When Bhutan's first national census was conducted in 1969, the population officially stood at 930,614 persons. Before 1969 population estimates had ranged between 300,000 and 800,000 people. The 1969 census has been criticized as inaccurate. By the time the 1980 census was held, the population reportedly had increased to approximately 1,165,000 persons. The results of the 1988 census had not been released as of 1991, but preliminary government projections in 1988 set the total population at 1,375,400 persons, whereas UN estimates stood at 1,451,000 people in 1988. Other foreign projections put the population at 1,598,216 persons in July 1991. It is likely, however, that Bhutan's real population was less than 1 million and probably as little as 600,000 in 1990. Moreover, the government itself began to use the figure of "about 600,000 citizens" in late 1990. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada, Library of Congress, 1991 *]
The annual growth rate in 1990 was 2 percent. Although the wide variation in population size makes all projections flawed, experts believe that the population growth rate is valid. The birth rate was 37 per 1,000, and the death rate was 17 per 1,000. In 1988 UN experts had estimated Bhutan would have a population of 1.9 million by 2000 and 3 million by 2025. The average annual population growth rate was estimated at 1.9 percent during the period from 1965 to 1970 and 1.8 percent during the period 1980 to 1985. Rates of change were projected to increase to 2.1 percent by 1990 and 2.3 percent by 2000 and to decrease to 1.41 percent by 2025. Total fertility rates (the average number of children born during a woman's reproductive years) have declined since the 1950s, however. The rate stood at 6.0 in 1955 and 5.5 in 1985 and was expected to decline to 3.7 by 2005 and 2.5 by 2025. The infant mortality rate was the highest in South Asia in 1990: 137 deaths per 1,000 live births. Despite the declining population growth most of Bhutan's people were young. By the late 1980s, 45 percent of the population was under fifteen years of age. However, the greater number of female infant deaths resulted in one of the world's lowest malefemale ratios (97.2 females to 100 males).
Life expectancy at birth had increased significantly since the 1950s, when it stood at only 36.3 years. By the early 1980s, life expectancy had reached 45.9 years. In 1989 the UN projected that life expectancy at birth in Bhutan would reach 55.5 years by 2005 and 61.8 years by 2025, still low compared with other South Asian countries and with the other least developed nations of the world.
Population Density of Bhutan
Population density: 20 people square kilometer (compared to 2 per square kilometer in Mongolia, 35 per square kilometer in the United States, and 511 in South Korea) [Source: World Population Review]
Population density: 52 people square mile (compared to 5 per square mile in Mongolia, 93 per square mile in the United States, and 2,889 in Bangladesh) [Source: World Population Review]
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The overall population density is very low at 12.5 people per square kilometer, but this figure does not take account for the fact that, with 92.9 percent of the population living in rural areas, access to arable land is primary in any estimate of population density. Therefore, if the ratio of population to arable land is taken into account then density rises to 100 people per square kilometer. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002 <=>]
Overall population density was thirty-one persons per square kilometer in the late 1980s, but because of the rugged terrain distribution was more dense in settled areas. The regions in the southern Duars valleys and eastern Bhutan around the fertile Tashigang Valley were the most populous areas. As was common among the least developed nations, there was a trend, albeit small, toward urbanization. Whereas in 1970 only 3 percent of the population lived in urban settings, the percentage had increased to 5 percent in 1985. UN specialists projected the urban population would reach 8 percent by 2000. With the exception of Tuvalu, Bhutan had the lowest urban population of any country among the forty-one least developed nations of the world. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada, Library of Congress, 1991 *]
Thimphu, the capital, the largest urban area, had a population of 27,000 persons in 1990. Most employed residents of Thimphu, some 2,860 in 1990, were government employees. Another 2,200 persons worked in private businesses and cottage industries. The city advanced toward modernization in 1987 with the installation of meters to regulate water consumption, the naming of its streets, and the erection of street signs. The only other urban area with a population of more than 10,000 residents was Phuntsholing in Chhukha District.
Age Structure in Bhutan
Bhutan has a relatively young population but not as young as before. Population 14 and under: 25 percent (2019, compared to 40 percent in Kenya, 19 percent in the United States and 13 percent in Japan). In 2005, 40 percent of the population 14 and under. In 2001, almost 50 percent was 17 years or younger. [Sources: World Bank data.worldbank.org ; “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007 =|=; “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002 <=>]]
Population 65 and above: 6 percent (2019, compared to 3 percent in Kenya, 15 percent in the United States and 27 percent in Japan). In 2005, approximately 4 percent of the population was 65 and older. [Source: World Bank data.worldbank.org ]
In Bhutan, more than 60 percent of the population was below the age of 22 in 2014 according to the BBC. Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.52 percent (male 98,113/female 93,740)
15-24 years: 17.77 percent (male 70,768/female 68,211)
25-54 years: 44.72 percent (male 184,500/female 165,374)
55-64 years: 6.39 percent (male 26,714/female 23,280)
65 years and over: 6.6 percent (male 26,797/female 24,821) (2020 estimated)
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020 =]
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 45.1
youth dependency ratio: 36.1
elderly dependency ratio: 9
potential support ratio: 11.1 (2020 estimated)
Dependency ratios are a measure of the age structure of a population. They relate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically "dependent" on the support of others. Dependency ratios contrast the ratio of youths (ages 0-14) and the elderly (ages 65+) to the number of those in the working-age group (ages 15-64). Changes in the dependency ratio provide an indication of potential social support requirements resulting from changes in population age structures. =
Median age:: total: 29.1 years
male: 29.6 years
female: 28.6 years (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 136 =
Population Growth in Bhutan
Population growth rate: 1.02 percent (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 103. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020 =]
Population doubling time: about 40 years. (compared to 1,236 years in China and 9.8 years in Niger). According to a 2010 Bhutan government report: “At the current rate of growth, the population of Bhutan will double in about four decades (2005 as the base year) and even if replacement level fertility2 is achieved by 2020, the population is expected to grow till the end of the 21st century. [Source: Bhutan government Gross National Happiness Commission]
A) Birth rate: 16.3 births per 1,000 people (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 106. B) Death rate: 6.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 147. C) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s) per 1,000 people (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 78. =
In 2000 the birth rate was 36.22 births per 1,000 people, while the death rate was 14.32 per deaths per 1,000 people. According to United Nations data, the annual population rate of change for 2005-10 was expected to be 2.5 percent, a rate the government deemed as too high. The government launched a fairly aggressive — by Bhutan standards — campaign to encourage more extensive contraception use, especially among adolescents. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007;“Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002]
Fertility Rate in Bhutan
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born per woman (2020 estimated); compared with other countries in the world: 147 (compared to 1.57 in Germany and 6.91 in Niger). The fertility rate is the average number of children estimated to be born per woman during her childbearing years. The fertility is a good indicator of potential for population change in the country.A fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is called replacement-level fertility. If replacement level fertility is sustained over long period then, theoretically each generation would exactly replace itself and the population would remain the same. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020]
Bhutan has been experiencing a significant decline in its population growth rate connected largely to the decision to have fewer children. Heather Elton wrote for bayleafyoga.com: “This has been driven largely by circumstances such as the level of education and economic position forcing people to marry late, not at all or to decide not to have children. Additionally, women in Bhutan are now contributing more significantly to the national workforce, which has been considered another contributing factor to the country’s declining fertility rate. [Source: Heather Elton, bayleafyoga.com, February 27, 2019]
“Up to the 1980s the fertility rate was as high as six children per woman. According to the Bhutan Living Standards Survey Report 2017 that rate has dropped significantly down to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1. With a growing aging population and shrinking workforce this trend could have serious adverse effects on the country.”
Sex Ratio and Boy Preference in Bhutan
Sex ratio: at birth: 105 males for every 100 females
0-14 years: 105 males for every 100 females
15-24 years: 104 males for every 100 females
25-54 years: 112 males for every 100 females
55-64 years: 115 males for every 100 females
65 years and over: 108 males for every 100 females
total population: 108 males for every 100 females (2020 estimated)
In 2005 There were 103 males for every 100 females in the country.
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020; “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
According to the OECD Development Center: The male/female sex ratio at birth is 1.05 and for the working age population (15-64 years old) is 1.12. There is evidence to suggest that Bhutan is a country of low concern in relation to missing women (the relatively high adult sex ratios are possible due to migration). [Source: OECD Development Center, genderindex.org, 2014]
“More Gender disaggregated data on the rates of infant mortality and early childhood nutrition from 2010 indicate that male infants are slightly more at risk, and primary school rates are approximately equal for boys and girls: figures which do not indicate a preference for sons in either health or education. However, World Health Organisation data indicates that girls aged 10-14 were more likely than boys to be engaged in economic activity, both in rural and urban areas. In terms of the modality of work, girls were more likely than boys to be engaged as a family worker. This suggests a preferential treatment of sons in the allocation of work in the family. In 2009, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee also expressed concern about the situation of girl child domestic workers, mainly from rural and remote areas, who work long hours and are vulnerable to violence.
Birth Control in Bhutan
Contraceptive use (any method, women ages 15-49): 66 percent (compared to 12 percent in Sudan and 84 percent in the United Kingdom) [Source: World Bank ]
Top method of contraception: injectibles. Injection contraceptives such as Depo-Provera, Sayana Press or Noristerat release the hormone progestogen into the bloodstream to prevent pregnancy. Depo-Provera lasts for 13 weeks. [Source: Birth Control Around the World onlinedoctor.superdrug.com ]
Types of birth control used (2015); female sterilization: 7.2 percent; male sterilization: 12.8 percent; pill: 7.6 percent; injectible: 29.3 percent; Implant: 0.1 percent; IUD: 3.8 percent; male condom: 5.6 percent; early withdrawal: 0 percent; rhythm method: 0.7 percent; other: 0.2 percent total: 67.8 percent [Source: Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015 — the United Nations un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications ]
Types of birth control used (1994): female sterilization: 3.2 percent; male sterilization: 8.2 percent; pill: 2.3 percent; injectible: 4.1 percent; implant: 0 percent IUD: 1.0 percent; male condom: 0.3 percent; total: 19.9 percent. [Source: Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015 — the United Nations un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications ]
The government launched a birth control campaign with the slogan "Small Family, Happy Family" to encourage broader use of contraception and lower the fertility rate, especially among adolescents. In the early 2000s, health officials traveled from village to village to encourage families to have no more than three children and gave buttons with a portrait of the king the "Small Family — Happy family" slogan. Sex education classes were sponsored by the government and financial rewards of a few dollars were given to men or women that got sterilized. Local clinics advertised vasectomies” “No incision, No stitch, Walk Home in Ten Minutes.”
Abortion is illegal under the Penal Code except for the purpose of saving the life of the mother or when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or when the mother is of unsound mental condition. [Source: OECD Development Center, genderindex.org, 2014]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Tourism Council of Bhutan (tourism.gov.bt), National Portal of Bhutan, the Bhutan government’s main site (gov.bt), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022