Population and Demographics of Bhutan
Population changed +0.65% in 2024 · median age 30 years
Older adults account for 6.49% of the population in Bhutan, with fertility measured at 1.4 children per woman. The longer record adds perspective: the population changed by +32.6% between 2000 and 2024. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 882.3 thousand, 11.5% higher than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Bhutan
A longer view puts Bhutan at 0.597M in 2000 and 0.792M in 2024. That works out to a 32.6% gain. For 2050, the medium projection is 0.882M. That is a difference of about 0.09 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The age distribution adds important context to Bhutan's 2024 population total and points to a mixed profile. The youngest broad age group represents 20.91% of residents, against 6.49% in the 65+ group; the working-age band is 72.60%. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Bhutan's 2024 population is 46.6% female and 53.4% male in the World Bank series. Males exceed females by 6.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 53.4% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 46.6% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Annual change of +0.65% is one part of Bhutan's 2024 profile; fertility of 1.4 is another, while the 15-to-64 share is 72.60% and the under-15 share is 20.91%.
Bhutan is 32.6% larger than its 2000 population in the 2024 reference year, before a projected +11.5% shift to 2050 under the medium scenario; the page therefore distinguishes measured direction from unmeasured demographic drivers.
2024 estimate for Bhutan. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Bhutan vs. World
In 2024, Bhutan's annual population change, fertility and median age do not all sit on the same side of the world benchmarks: they are respectively lower than, below and close in age to the global benchmarks.
| Indicator | Bhutan | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.65% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.4 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 30 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The table deliberately uses one 2024 source context for Bhutan and the world. This avoids combining national figures from one year with global figures from another.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 791,524 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +0.65%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 20.91% are under 15 and 6.49% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 46.6% female and 53.4% male.
The 2050 medium projection is 0.882M, 11.5% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Bhutan?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Bhutan is 791,524 people.
Is the population of Bhutan growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Bhutan's population is growing, with annual change of +0.65%.
What percentage of the population of Bhutan is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 6.49% of Bhutan's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Bhutan in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Bhutan's 2050 population at 882,340.
What is the fertility rate in Bhutan?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Bhutan is 1.4 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.