Bhutan Population Pyramid 1978
Bhutan in 1978
In 1978, Bhutan had a total population of 405,243 people. A decade earlier, in 1968, the population was 288,311; it has grown by 40.6% since.
The median age was 19.0 years, and for every 100 people of working age (15–64) there were 77.6 children under 15 and 4.5 people aged 65 or over. This is an expansive pyramid — each cohort of children is larger than the one above it, the signature of high birth rates and rapid growth.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
The fertility rate of Bhutan was 1.46 births per woman in 2023, under the 2.1 needed to replace each generation.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
A child born there in 2023 could expect to live 73.0 years on average (75.0 years for girls, 71.3 for boys).
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
51,447 immigrants live in Bhutan, 6.5% of the population.
| India | 48,810 |
| China | 986 |
| Nepal | 780 |
| United States of America | 147 |
| Japan | 137 |
66,145 people born in Bhutan live in other countries.
| Nepal | 26,552 |
| Australia | 25,363 |
| India | 6,555 |
| Canada | 6,227 |
| Denmark | 617 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | 405,243 | 19.0 | |
| Maldives | 156,159 | 17.0 | |
| Afghanistan | 13,611,441 | 17.2 | |
| Sri Lanka | 14,310,128 | 21.2 | |
| Nepal | 14,839,696 | 19.6 |





