Rank #23 by World Population
🇧🇹Bhutan
Bhutan has a population of 786,385, ranking #23 in the world. The capital is Thimphu. Located in South Asia.
World Bank: Lower middle income
786,385
Population
#23
World Rank
73.0
Life Expectancy
$3,831
GDP Per Capita
Bhutan, #23 by world population
Bhutan Population History (1960-2024)
The country of Bhutan had a population of 224,084 in 1960 and 791,524 in 2024, a 3.5× growth over 64 years. The peak was 791,524 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 2.00%.
791,524
Population (2024)
224,084
Population (1960)
791,524
Peak (2024)
2.00%
Avg Annual Growth
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 224,084 |
| 1961 | 230,602 |
| 1962 | 237,636 |
| 1963 | 245,156 |
| 1964 | 252,987 |
| 1965 | 261,200 |
| 1966 | 269,820 |
| 1967 | 278,852 |
| 1968 | 288,311 |
| 1969 | 298,214 |
| 1970 | 308,528 |
| 1971 | 319,211 |
| 1972 | 330,264 |
| 1973 | 341,705 |
| 1974 | 353,538 |
| 1975 | 365,791 |
| 1976 | 378,490 |
| 1977 | 391,639 |
| 1978 | 405,243 |
| 1979 | 419,200 |
| 1980 | 433,404 |
| 1981 | 447,836 |
| 1982 | 462,485 |
| 1983 | 477,460 |
| 1984 | 492,784 |
| 1985 | 508,392 |
| 1986 | 524,324 |
| 1987 | 540,557 |
| 1988 | 556,986 |
| 1989 | 573,586 |
| 1990 | 589,287 |
| 1991 | 599,784 |
| 1992 | 577,774 |
| 1993 | 554,673 |
| 1994 | 554,497 |
| 1995 | 547,989 |
| 1996 | 548,784 |
| 1997 | 558,697 |
| 1998 | 569,435 |
| 1999 | 582,579 |
| 2000 | 596,863 |
| 2001 | 610,794 |
| 2002 | 624,409 |
| 2003 | 637,663 |
| 2004 | 650,544 |
| 2005 | 661,865 |
| 2006 | 670,799 |
| 2007 | 678,641 |
| 2008 | 686,351 |
| 2009 | 693,988 |
| 2010 | 701,632 |
| 2011 | 709,377 |
| 2012 | 717,279 |
| 2013 | 725,273 |
| 2014 | 733,139 |
| 2015 | 740,618 |
| 2016 | 747,866 |
| 2017 | 754,335 |
| 2018 | 759,759 |
| 2019 | 764,824 |
| 2020 | 770,006 |
| 2021 | 775,442 |
| 2022 | 780,914 |
| 2023 | 786,385 |
| 2024 | 791,524 |
Demographics
| Population | 786,385 |
| Population Growth Rate | 0.70% |
| Urban Population | 41.7% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.46 births/woman |
| Life Expectancy | 73.0 years |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 14.3 per 1,000 |
| Literacy Rate | - |
Economy & Trade
$3,831
GDP Per Capita
3.1%
Unemployment Rate
Lower middle income
Income Level
28.5
Gini Index (inequality)
81.7%
Trade (% of GDP)
29,799.999
Tourism Arrivals
Health & Education
4.4%
Health Expenditure (% GDP)
0.55
Physicians per 1,000
5.8%
Education Expenditure (% GDP)
14.3
Infant Mortality (per 1,000)
Development & Connectivity
100.0%
Electricity Access
88.4%
Internet Users
100
Mobile Subs per 100
20.6
People per km2
291
Net Migration
Environment
71.6%
Forest Area
Other Countries in South Asia
Compare Bhutan
Bhutan in global context
Bhutan is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.
World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →Other related entities
Country rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Bhutan has a population of 786,385, ranking #23 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 0.70%.
Life expectancy in Bhutan is 73.0 years. The infant mortality rate is 14.3 per 1,000 live births.
Bhutan's GDP per capita is $3,831. It is classified as a lower middle income country by the World Bank.
41.7% of Bhutan's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 20.6 people per square kilometer.
Literacy data for Bhutan is available from the World Bank.
International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. population demographics distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.