Bhutan Population
Bhutan had an estimated population of 796,682 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 165th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.01% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.65% a year.
Bhutan at a glance
How Bhutan's population is changing
Bhutan's population is growing: +0.65% a year, which works out to about +5,175 people per year, or +14 a day. Births (12.5 per 1,000) and deaths (6.1 per 1,000) alone would give +0.65% a year; net migration adds about 455 people a year (+0.06%). Roughly one in every 10,312 people on Earth lives in Bhutan.
Population of Bhutan since 1960
In 1960, Bhutan had 224,084 people. By 2025 that was 796,682 — 3.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1969 and 1979, when the population rose by 41%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 224,084 | — |
| 1970 | 308,528 | +37.7% |
| 1980 | 433,404 | +40.5% |
| 1990 | 589,287 | +36.0% |
| 2000 | 596,863 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 701,632 | +17.6% |
| 2020 | 770,006 | +9.7% |
| 2025 | 796,682 | +3.5% |
Bhutan from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Bhutan at about 392,287 people in 1800; the UN estimates 796,689 in 2025 (2× 1800) and projects 690,432 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2052 at 883,872 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 392,287 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 337,593 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 269,139 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 169,991 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 596,871 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 796,689 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 882,345 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 825,865 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 690,432 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Bhutan
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 796,682. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thimphu | 65,478 | UN urban centre | 8.22% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Phuntsholing | 27,658 | GeoNames settlement | 3.47% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Tsirang | 22,376 | GeoNames settlement | 2.81% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Punākha | 21,500 | GeoNames settlement | 2.70% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Pemagatshel | 13,864 | GeoNames settlement | 1.74% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Paro | 11,448 | GeoNames settlement | 1.44% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Sarpang | 10,416 | GeoNames settlement | 1.31% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Geylegphug | 9,858 | GeoNames settlement | 1.24% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Samdrup Jongkhar | 9,325 | GeoNames settlement | 1.17% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Wangdue Phodrang | 8,954 | GeoNames settlement | 1.12% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Bhutan compares
Bhutan has almost the same population as Guyana (835,986).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Bhutan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #163 |  Solomon Islands | 838,645 | +5% | compare → |
| #164 |  Guyana | 835,986 | +5% | compare → |
| #166 |  Luxembourg | 686,970 | −14% | compare → |
| #167 |  Macau | 685,900 | −14% | compare → |
Compare Bhutan with any country →
Same region (South Asia): India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives.
Explore around Bhutan
Land neighbours (2)
India 1,463,865,525 · 1837.5× the population · compare
China 1,406,585,000 · 1765.6× the population · compare
Bhutan's 2 neighbours together hold 2,870,450,525 people — 3603.0× Bhutan's population. The most populous is India (1,463,865,525).
In its region
Bhutan is the 5th most populous of the 6 economies in South Asia, holding 0.0% of the region's 1,692,252,900 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Tsirang, Punākha, Pemagatshel, Paro, Sarpang, Geylegphug — all Bhutan's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Bhutan when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.