Bhutan
Name
| Official name | Kingdom of Bhutan |
|---|---|
| In Dzongkha | Druk Gyal Khap (འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་) — the country Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon |
| Demonym | Bhutanese |
| Meaning of the name | "Bhutan" most often from the Sanskrit Bhota-anta, "the end of Tibet"; Druk Yul for the Druk, the thunder dragon, and the Drukpa lineage |
| The people's name | Drukpa — the people of the dragon |
Quick facts
| Capital | Thimphu, at about 2,300 m — the capital since 1955; the largest city, about 115,000; no traffic lights |
|---|---|
| Official language | Dzongkha; English the language of instruction; Sharchopkha in the east and Lhotshamkha (Nepali) in the south the largest of some 19 languages |
| Currency | Ngultrum — ISO code BTN, Nu.; 1 ngultrum = 100 chhertum; at par with the Indian rupee, which circulates alongside; issued by the Royal Monetary Authority |
| Time zone | Bhutan Time, UTC+6, all year |
| Calling code | +975 |
| Internet domain | .bt |
| ISO 3166 codes | BT · BTN · 064 |
| Vehicle registration code | BHT |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types D, F and G |
| Monarchy | The Wangchuck dynasty since 17 December 1907; never colonized — a treaty relationship with British India from 1910 and with India from 1949, revised 2007 |
| National day | 17 December, National Day — the crowning of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first King in 1907 |
| Constitution | 18 July 2008 — a constitutional monarchy; the first parliamentary election in March 2008 |
| Population | 727,000 at the census of 2022; about 893,000 by the CIA World Factbook's 2025 estimate |
| Area | 38,394 km² (14,824 sq mi) — landlocked; a little larger than Maryland |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A yellow and orange field divided diagonally, with the white Druk — the thunder dragon — laid across the line holding a jewel in each claw: the king's color above, the monks' color below; a queen's design of 1947 in its 1969 form, fixed by the National Flag Rules of 8 June 1972.Flag of Bhutan |
|---|---|
| National emblem | A circle of two crossed vajras over a lotus, a jewel above and two dragons on either side — adopted 1980; restated in the Constitution's First Schedule |
| National anthem | "Druk Tsendhen" ("The Thunder Dragon Kingdom") — words by Dasho Gyaldun Thinley, music by Aku Tongmi; adopted 1953, revised 1964 |
| National colors | Yellow and orange |
| National animal | The takin (Budorcas taxicolor) — designated in 1985; the goat-antelope of legend made by the Divine Madman |
| National bird | The raven — designated; the Raven Crown of the kings |
| National flower | The blue poppy (Meconopsis gakyidiana) — designated |
| National tree | The Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) — designated |
| National sport | Archery (dha) — designated 1971 |
| National dish | Ema datshi — chilies and cheese — with red rice; widely cited |
| National dress | The gho for men and the kira for women — required in schools, offices and dzongs under the driglam namzha |
| Symbol status | The flag, emblem and anthem are fixed by the Constitution and the 1972 Rules; the animal, bird, flower, tree and sport are designated by the government; the dish is widely cited |
Geography
| Location | The eastern Himalaya — landlocked between Tibet (China) to the north and India on the other three sides |
|---|---|
| Land borders | 1,136 km (706 mi) with two countries |
| Border with India | 659 km (409 mi) — with Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh |
| Border with China | 477 km (296 mi) — with Tibet; sections still under negotiation since 1984 |
| Coastline | None — landlocked |
| Highest point | Gangkhar Puensum, 7,570 m (24,836 ft) — the highest unclimbed mountain in the world; peaks above 6,000 m closed to climbing since 1994 |
| Lowest point | The Drangme Chhu at the Indian border, 97 m (318 ft) |
| Mean elevation | 2,220 m (7,283 ft) — among the highest of any country |
| Major rivers | The Amo Chhu (Torsa), the Wang Chhu (Raidak), the Puna Tsang Chhu (Sankosh) and the Drangme Chhu (Manas) — all flowing south into the Brahmaputra |
| Terrain | The southern Duars and foothills, the fertile middle valleys, and the high Himalaya of the north — from below 100 m to above 7,000 m in 170 km |
| Forests | About 70% of the land, and more by some counts — the Constitution requires at least 60% for all time |
| Climate | Tropical in the southern plains, temperate in the central valleys, alpine in the north; the monsoon from June to September |
| Natural hazards | Landslides in the rains; glacial-lake floods; the violent Himalayan storms that named the country |
| Natural resources | Hydropower, timber, gypsum, calcium carbonate |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 14%; arable under 3%; forest 70% or more |
| Protected areas | About half the country — Jigme Dorji, Royal Manas, Jigme Singye Wangchuck and Wangchuck Centennial national parks, linked by biological corridors |
| UNESCO World Heritage | None — Bhutan has no inscribed site; eight properties on its tentative list, among them the dzongs and Paro Taktsang |
| Administrative divisions | 20 dzongkhags (districts) and 205 gewogs (blocks); four thromdes (municipalities) |
People
| Population | 727,145 (census of 2022); about 893,000 (CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 20 per km² (50 per sq mi) — among the lowest in Asia |
| Population growth | About 0.5% a year; emigration to Australia notable since 2022 |
| Median age | About 30 years |
| Life expectancy | About 73 years |
| Fertility rate | About 1.8 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 45% |
| Adult literacy | About 71% |
| Ethnic groups | Ngalop about 50%, Sharchop about 25%, Lhotshampa (of Nepali origin) about 20%, others |
| Languages | Dzongkha official; Sharchopkha, Lhotshamkha, Bumthangkha and some 15 others; English widely spoken |
| Religion | Buddhist about 75% (Vajrayana — the state religion in practice), Hindu about 22%, others |
| Largest towns | Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Paro, Gelephu, Punakha, Samdrup Jongkhar |
| Human Development Index | 0.698 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; 125th of 193 |
| Diaspora | Growing communities in Australia (Perth above all), India and the United States; about 100,000 Lhotshampa left or were expelled in the early 1990s and were resettled abroad from 2007 |
Government
| Form of government | Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy under the Constitution of 2008 |
|---|---|
| King | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the fifth Druk Gyalpo — since 14 December 2006, crowned 6 November 2008; the Constitution retires the King at 65 |
| Heir | Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the Gyalsey, born 2016 |
| Prime Minister | Tshering Tobgay (PDP), since 28 January 2024 — his second term, after 2013–2018 |
| The 2024 election | Held 9 January 2024: the People's Democratic Party 30 of 47 seats, the Bhutan Tendrel Party 17 — the fourth election under the Constitution |
| Parliament | The National Assembly (47 elected) and the National Council (20 elected, 5 appointed by the King) |
| Legal system | Civil law with Buddhist and customary influence; a Supreme Court since 2010 |
| Gross National Happiness | The guiding philosophy since the 1970s, written into Article 9 of the Constitution; measured by a national index |
| Foreign relations | A treaty of friendship with India (1949, revised 2007); no diplomatic relations with any permanent member of the UN Security Council; the border with China under negotiation since 1984 |
| United Nations | Member since 21 September 1971 |
| Regional memberships | SAARC (a founder, 1985), BIMSTEC, the Non-Aligned Movement |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$3.6 billion (2025, IMF) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$4,500 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$18,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 5–7% (2024–25) |
| Economy by sector | Services about 45%, industry about 36%, agriculture about 16% |
| Currency | Ngultrum (BTN), at par with the Indian rupee |
| Hydropower | The pillar of the economy — about 2,300 MW installed, most of it exported to India; Punatsangchhu I and II under construction |
| Tourism | High value, low volume — a Sustainable Development Fee of US$100 a day for most visitors since 2023 |
| Trade partner | India — some 80% of trade |
| Gelephu Mindfulness City | A special administrative region of about 2,500 km² on the Indian border, announced by the King in December 2023 |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank); graduated from the UN's least-developed-country list in December 2023 |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Paro International Airport, at 2,235 m in a valley of 5,000-meter peaks — among the most demanding approaches in the world; fewer than two dozen pilots certified |
|---|---|
| Airlines | Drukair, the national carrier, since 1983; Bhutan Airlines |
| Roads | About 18,000 km (11,000 mi); the Lateral Road from Phuntsholing to Trashigang the spine of the country |
| Railways | None — a link from Gelephu to India's network planned |
| Gateway | Phuntsholing, on the Indian border — the trade town |
History in dates
| 8th century | Padmasambhava — Guru Rinpoche — brings Buddhism to Bhutan by tradition |
|---|---|
| 1616 | Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives from Tibet and unifies the country under the dual system of chhoe-sid |
| 1774 | A treaty with the East India Company |
| 1865 | The Duar War; the Treaty of Sinchula cedes the southern Duars to British India |
| 1907 | Ugyen Wangchuck crowned the first hereditary King at Punakha, 17 December |
| 1910 | The Treaty of Punakha — British India guides foreign relations, no interference within |
| 1949 | The Treaty of Friendship with India, 8 August |
| 1953 | The National Assembly established |
| 1971 | Bhutan joins the United Nations, 21 September |
| 1972 | Jigme Singye Wangchuck becomes King at 16; Gross National Happiness |
| 1999 | Television and the internet arrive |
| 2006 | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck becomes the fifth King, 14 December |
| 2008 | The first parliamentary election, 24 March; the Constitution, 18 July; the coronation, 6 November |
| 2023 | Gelephu Mindfulness City announced, 17 December |
| 2024 | Tshering Tobgay's second government, 28 January |
Records & firsts
| The highest unclimbed mountain | Gangkhar Puensum, 7,570 m |
|---|---|
| Carbon negative | The forests absorb more carbon than the country emits — the first such country |
| A constitution for the forests | At least 60% of the land forested, for all time — Article 5 |
| Gross National Happiness | The only country to measure its progress by happiness in its constitution |
| No traffic lights | Thimphu — the only national capital without one |
| The last to switch on | Television and the internet only in 1999 |
| Paro Taktsang | The Tiger's Nest, on a cliff 900 m above the Paro valley |
| Punakha Dzong | The seat of the coronations and of the royal wedding of 2011 |
| Never colonized | Independent through the colonial era, by treaty rather than conquest |
| The gho and the kira | A national dress still worn by law in public life |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Bhutan?
The Kingdom of Bhutan — in Dzongkha, Druk Gyal Khap, and the country itself is Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, after the Druk of its mythology and the Drukpa lineage of Buddhism. "Bhutan" is the outsiders' name, most often traced to the Sanskrit Bhota-anta, "the end of Tibet."
What is the capital of Bhutan?
Thimphu, in the west of the country at about 2,300 m, the capital since 1955 and formally since 1961 — the largest city with about 115,000 people, and by common repute the only national capital without a traffic light. Punakha was the old capital, and remains the winter seat of the monastic body.
How big is Bhutan, and how many people live there?
About 38,394 km² (14,824 sq mi), a little larger than Maryland, landlocked between India and China in the eastern Himalaya. The census of 2022 counted 727,000 people; the CIA World Factbook estimates about 893,000 for 2025, a gap the country's own statistics office puts down to method. At about 20 people per km² it is among the least crowded countries in Asia.
What are the highest and lowest points of Bhutan?
Gangkhar Puensum, 7,570 m (24,836 ft), on the Tibetan border — the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, and closed to climbers since 1994 out of respect for the deities of the peaks. The lowest point is the Drangme Chhu, 97 m (318 ft), where the river leaves for India. The mean elevation of 2,220 m is among the highest of any country.
What currency does Bhutan use?
The ngultrum (ISO code BTN, Nu.), introduced in 1974 and fixed at par with the Indian rupee, which also circulates freely; 1 ngultrum = 100 chhertum. Clocks keep Bhutan Time, UTC+6 — half an hour ahead of India.
Who governs Bhutan?
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the fifth Druk Gyalpo, on the throne since 14 December 2006 and crowned on 6 November 2008; and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of the People's Democratic Party, in office since 28 January 2024 after his party took 30 of the 47 seats in the National Assembly on 9 January 2024. Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since the Constitution of 18 July 2008, and holds a parliamentary election every five years.
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