Rural population in Bhutan
Bhutan: Rural population was 56.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Bhutan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Bhutan is 56.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Bhutan peaked at 97.5% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 56.6%, in 2025.
Bhutan ranks 51st of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 97.5% | — |
| 1961 | 97.5% | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 97.4% | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 97.4% | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 97.3% | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 97.3% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 97.2% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 97.2% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 97.1% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 97.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 96.8% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 96.5% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 95.9% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 94.2% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 93.2% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 92.1% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 91.0% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 89.9% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 88.8% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 87.8% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 87.0% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 86.1% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 85.3% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 84.5% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 83.7% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 82.9% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 82.1% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 81.4% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 80.6% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 79.8% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 79.0% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 78.3% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 77.5% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 76.7% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 76.0% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 75.3% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 74.5% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 73.8% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 73.1% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 72.4% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 71.7% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 71.0% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 70.4% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 69.7% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 69.1% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 68.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 67.8% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 67.2% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 66.7% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 66.1% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 65.5% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 65.0% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 64.4% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 63.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 63.3% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 62.7% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 62.1% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 61.5% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 60.9% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 60.3% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 59.7% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 59.1% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 58.3% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 57.4% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 56.6% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 97.3% | 97.0% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 93.4% | 88.8% | 96.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 84.2% | 80.6% | 87.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.4% | 73.1% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.4% | 66.7% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.6% | 60.9% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.6% | 56.6% | 60.3% | 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 in Bhutan?
- Rural population in Bhutan was 56.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 2025.
- How does Bhutan rank for rural population?
- Bhutan ranks 51st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.