Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) was 20.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.75 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
184th
of 216 countries
All-time high
20.75 people per sq. km of land area
in 2024
All-time low
4.94 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Population density in Bhutan, 1961–2024
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Bhutan is 20.75 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Bhutan peaked at 20.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.94 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
Bhutan ranks 184th of 216 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.94 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 5.09 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 5.25 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 5.41 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 5.59 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 5.77 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 5.97 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 6.17 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 6.38 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 6.6 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 6.83 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 7.07 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 7.31 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 7.57 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 7.83 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 8.1 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 8.38 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 8.67 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 8.97 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 9.28 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 9.58 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 9.9 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 10.22 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 10.55 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 10.88 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 11.22 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 11.57 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 11.92 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 12.28 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 12.61 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 12.84 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 12.37 people per sq. km of land area | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 11.87 people per sq. km of land area | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 13.93 people per sq. km of land area | +17.4% |
| 1995 | 13.77 people per sq. km of land area | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 13.79 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 14.04 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 14.31 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 14.64 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 15 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 15.35 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 15.69 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 16.02 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 17.07 people per sq. km of land area | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 17.36 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 17.6 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 17.8 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 18.01 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 18.21 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 18.41 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 18.61 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 18.82 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 19.03 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 19.23 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 19.43 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 19.61 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 19.78 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 19.92 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 20.05 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 20.19 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 20.33 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 20.47 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 20.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 20.75 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 20.75 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 82.92 people per sq. km of land area, 25% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 20.75 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for South Asia, which is 421.14 people per sq. km of land area, 5% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.62 people per sq. km of land area | 4.94 people per sq. km of land area | 6.38 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.73 people per sq. km of land area | 6.6 people per sq. km of land area | 8.97 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.74 people per sq. km of land area | 9.28 people per sq. km of land area | 12.28 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.42 people per sq. km of land area | 11.87 people per sq. km of land area | 14.64 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.81 people per sq. km of land area | 15 people per sq. km of land area | 18.21 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.29 people per sq. km of land area | 18.41 people per sq. km of land area | 20.05 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.47 people per sq. km of land area | 20.19 people per sq. km of land area | 20.75 people per sq. km of land area | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 181 Brazil 25.36 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 182 Papua New Guinea 23.35 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 183 Niger 21.34 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 185 New Zealand 20.09 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 186 Mali 20.06 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 187 Algeria 19.66 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Bhutan
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 30.07 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 0.2848 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 343,415 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Bhutan?
- Population density in Bhutan was 20.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2024, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 20.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2024.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.94 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Bhutan rank for population density?
- Bhutan ranks 184th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population density rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.