Rural population growth (annual %) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Bhutan, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Bhutan stood at -0.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 792.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Bhutan peaked at 3.3% in 1969 and was at its lowest, -5.1%, in 1993.
That places Bhutan 162nd out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.8% | — |
| 1962 | 3.0% | +4.9% |
| 1963 | 3.1% | +3.7% |
| 1964 | 3.1% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 3.1% | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 3.3% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 3.3% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -6.0% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -8.1% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | -6.9% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -6.2% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | -5.0% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | -12.1% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -54.1% |
| 1992 | -4.7% | -693.7% |
| 1993 | -5.1% | +7.3% |
| 1994 | -1.0% | -80.1% |
| 1995 | -2.2% | +114.1% |
| 1996 | -0.8% | -61.5% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -198.6% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +14.2% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | +40.8% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | +11.0% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -25.1% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -46.2% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -36.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -17.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -39.6% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -52.6% |
| 2017 | -0.1% | -241.2% |
| 2018 | -0.3% | +205.1% |
| 2019 | -0.3% | +28.5% |
| 2020 | -0.3% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | -0.3% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | +8.8% |
| 2023 | -0.7% | +86.2% |
| 2024 | -0.8% | +17.9% |
| 2025 | -0.9% | +11.1% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's -0.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's -0.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is -0.7%, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | -693.7% | 0.8% | -4.7% |
| 2017 | -241.2% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | -205.1% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | +198.6% | -0.8% | 0.8% |
| 1995 | -114.1% | -1.0% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | -86.2% | -0.4% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.8% | -5.1% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.6% | -0.9% | -0.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More agriculture & rural data for Bhutan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1368 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 614.64 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8653 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5657 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 13.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 13.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Bhutan?
- Rural population growth in Bhutan was -0.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1969.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was -5.1% in 1993.
- How does Bhutan rank for rural population growth?
- Bhutan ranks 162nd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 792.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.