Rural population growth in Bhutan
Bhutan: Rural population growth 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 161st out of 207 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.
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
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2025)
- Rural population 56.6% (2025)
- Rural population 450,682 (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 13.7% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 489.68 million current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 20,654 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,552 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 73,368 metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 9.81 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
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 161st out of 207 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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CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.