South Asia · Lower middle income
Bhutan: the economy in numbers
Per person: $4,493, or $19,594 at purchasing power parity. Population: 796,682 (2025).
$3.58B+8.0%real GDP growth, 2025
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #172 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +7.0%.
GDP per capita
$4,493
2025 · #139 of 204
GDP per capita, PPP
$19,594
2025 · #107 of 197
Inflation
3.6%
2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 5.6%
Government debt
102.6%
2025 · % of GDP, general government
Population
797K
2025 · #165 of 217
Unemployment
3.2%
2025 · ILO estimate
Life expectancy
73.3 years
2024
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $513 million in 1970, $3.58 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $1,663 per person in 1970, $4,493 in 2025.
GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 3.8% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1971: 3 of 55.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 3.59 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 18.1% in 1983.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1993: 124.5% of GDP in 2021. IMF forecast for 2031: 115.5%.
General government (IMF)Central government only (World Bank)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Population
1960: 224,084 · 2025: 796,682.
Unemployment rate
1991: 1.4% · 2025: 3.2%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 36.4 years · 2024: 73.3 years.
Exports of goods and services
1980: 14.4% · 2024: 31.5%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 5.5%f | 4.0%f | 115.5%f | |||||||
| 2030 | 6.5%f | 4.0%f | 122.1%f | |||||||
| 2029 | 7.2%f | 4.3%f | 127.9%f | |||||||
| 2028 | 6.1%f | 4.8%f | 115.7%f | |||||||
| 2027 | 6.9%f | 6.5%f | 116.7%f | |||||||
| 2026 | 7.0%f | 5.6%f | 116.2%f | |||||||
| 2025 | $3.58B | $4,493 | $19,594 | 8.0% | 3.6% | 102.6% | 797K | 3.2% | ||
| 2024 | $3.35B | $4,228 | $17,762 | 7.5% | 2.8% | 108.7% | 792K | 3.3% | 73.3 | 31.5% |
| 2023 | $3.01B | $3,831 | $16,229 | 4.6% | 4.2% | 117.2% | 786K | 3.1% | 73.0 | 28.4% |
| 2022 | $2.9B | $3,711 | $15,061 | 5.2% | 5.6% | 119.9% | 781K | 5.9% | 72.8 | 25.5% |
| 2021 | $2.77B | $3,571 | $13,459 | 4.4% | 7.3% | 124.5% | 775K | 4.8% | 72.4 | 29.2% |
| 2020 | $2.46B | $3,192 | $12,475 | −10.2% | 5.6% | 116.0% | 770K | 5.0% | 72.3 | 28.1% |
| 2019 | $2.74B | $3,577 | $12,909 | 5.8% | 2.7% | 100.8% | 765K | 2.7% | 72.0 | 31.5% |
| 2018 | $2.58B | $3,400 | $11,970 | 3.5% | 2.7% | 103.4% | 760K | 3.4% | 71.7 | 29.2% |
| 2017 | $2.59B | $3,435 | $11,677 | 2.1% | 5.0% | 104.1% | 754K | 3.0% | 71.4 | 28.4% |
| 2016 | $2.36B | $3,152 | $11,273 | 8.5% | 3.2% | 103.0% | 748K | 2.7% | 71.1 | 27.1% |
| 2015 | $2.19B | $2,954 | $10,214 | 6.7% | 4.5% | 90.2% | 741K | 2.5% | 70.8 | 31.5% |
| 2014 | $2.09B | $2,849 | $9,323 | 5.9% | 8.3% | 89.8% | 733K | 2.6% | 70.5 | 34.2% |
| 2013 | $1.94B | $2,680 | $8,667 | 1.7% | 8.8% | 87.4% | 725K | 2.9% | 70.2 | 37.4% |
| 2012 | $1.97B | $2,751 | $8,577 | 5.2% | 10.9% | 71.5% | 717K | 2.0% | 69.8 | 35.8% |
| 2011 | $1.98B | $2,788 | $7,935 | 8.5% | 8.8% | 62.3% | 709K | 3.2% | 69.3 | 37.9% |
| 2010 | $1.71B | $2,436 | $7,246 | 11.9% | 7.0% | 55.8% | 702K | 3.3% | 68.8 | 39.4% |
| 2009 | $1.33B | $1,918 | $6,466 | 7.7% | 4.4% | 61.0% | 694K | 4.0% | 68.2 | 42.5% |
| 2008 | $1.32B | $1,920 | $6,035 | 4.5% | 8.3% | 60.6% | 686K | 3.8% | 67.7 | 46.6% |
| 2007 | $1.26B | $1,850 | $5,729 | 16.1% | 5.2% | 67.3% | 679K | 3.7% | 67.2 | 52.4% |
| 2006 | $943M | $1,406 | $4,860 | 5.6% | 5.0% | 80.1% | 671K | 3.1% | 66.5 | 51.8% |
| 2005 | $860M | $1,300 | $4,523 | 6.9% | 5.3% | 80.8% | 662K | 3.1% | 65.9 | 36.4% |
| 2004 | $735M | $1,130 | $4,173 | 5.2% | 4.1% | 76.0% | 651K | 2.5% | 65.3 | 29.7% |
| 2003 | $652M | $1,022 | $3,942 | 7.8% | 2.6% | 68.5% | 638K | 1.8% | 64.7 | 24.4% |
| 2002 | $559M | $896 | $3,663 | 10.4% | 2.5% | 57.7% | 624K | 1.9% | 64.0 | 22.9% |
| 2001 | $496M | $812 | $3,338 | 7.3% | 3.4% | 52.4% | 611K | 1.9% | 63.3 | 25.2% |
| 2000 | $461M | $772 | $3,113 | 3.4% | 4.0% | 44.0% | 597K | 1.7% | 61.8 | 28.0% |
| 1999 | $399M | $685 | $3,017 | 8.0% | 6.8% | 39.2% | 583K | 1.4% | 62.0 | 32.7% |
| 1998 | $363M | $638 | $2,819 | 5.9% | 10.6% | 36.4% | 569K | 1.4% | 61.3 | 34.3% |
| 1997 | $352M | $630 | $2,683 | 5.4% | 6.5% | 33.0% | 559K | 1.4% | 60.6 | 37.3% |
| 1996 | $303M | $553 | $2,548 | 5.6% | 8.8% | 36.8% | 549K | 1.4% | 60.0 | 37.0% |
| 1995 | $290M | $530 | $2,374 | 7.1% | 9.5% | 38.7% | 548K | 1.4% | 59.3 | 39.4% |
| 1994 | $259M | $467 | $2,146 | 5.0% | 7.0% | 53.2% | 554K | 1.4% | 58.4 | 30.9% |
| 1993 | $226M | $407 | $2,001 | 2.0% | 11.2% | 60.2% | 555K | 1.4% | 57.9 | 32.9% |
| 1992 | $240M | $416 | $1,840 | 4.6% | 16.0% | 578K | 1.4% | 57.2 | 33.4% | |
| 1991 | $240M | $401 | $1,657 | −0.4% | 12.3% | 600K | 1.4% | 56.5 | 33.5% | |
| 1990 | $288M | $488 | $1,638 | 10.4% | 10.0% | 589K | 55.8 | 28.0% | ||
| 1989 | $265M | $462 | 7.4% | 8.8% | 574K | 55.1 | 29.2% | |||
| 1988 | $272M | $489 | 4.8% | 10.1% | 557K | 54.4 | 29.3% | |||
| 1987 | $243M | $449 | 29.1% | 6.3% | 541K | 53.6 | 24.6% | |||
| 1986 | $191M | $365 | 11.4% | 10.0% | 524K | 52.8 | 18.6% | |||
| 1985 | $163M | $321 | 4.0% | 1.9% | 508K | 52.0 | 15.8% | |||
| 1984 | $160M | $326 | 4.6% | 7.0% | 493K | 51.3 | 13.6% | |||
| 1983 | $157M | $328 | 10.4% | 18.1% | 477K | 50.6 | 12.7% | |||
| 1982 | $141M | $306 | 3.4% | 9.8% | 462K | 49.8 | 14.4% | |||
| 1981 | $139M | $311 | 15.1% | 10.0% | 448K | 49.0 | 16.2% | |||
| 1980 | $129M | $297 | 5.0% | 12.5% | 433K | 48.2 | 14.4% | |||
| 1979 | $105M | $251 | 4.8% | 419K | 47.4 | |||||
| 1978 | $94.1M | $232 | 7.1% | 405K | 46.7 | |||||
| 1977 | $97.9M | $250 | 7.9% | 392K | 46.0 | |||||
| 1976 | $88.5M | $234 | 9.0% | 378K | 45.2 | |||||
| 1975 | $86.8M | $237 | −3.3% | 366K | 44.5 | |||||
| 1974 | $92.9M | $263 | 5.2% | 354K | 43.8 | |||||
| 1973 | $78.9M | $231 | 1.5% | 342K | 43.1 | |||||
| 1972 | $70.1M | $212 | 1.2% | 330K | 42.5 | |||||
| 1971 | $66.3M | $208 | 2.7% | 319K | 41.8 | |||||
| 1970 | $61.8M | $200 | 309K | 41.2 | ||||||
| 1969 | 298K | 40.6 | ||||||||
| 1968 | 288K | 40.0 | ||||||||
| 1967 | 279K | 39.4 | ||||||||
| 1966 | 270K | 38.8 | ||||||||
| 1965 | 261K | 38.3 | ||||||||
| 1964 | 253K | 37.8 | ||||||||
| 1963 | 245K | 37.4 | ||||||||
| 1962 | 238K | 37.0 | ||||||||
| 1961 | 231K | 36.7 | ||||||||
| 1960 | 224K | 36.4 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 1980, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in South Asia
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Sri Lanka
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
- Fiscal year: the IMF reports this economy by fiscal year (latest actual: FY2024/25), so IMF numbers can differ from calendar-year World Bank figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)