Bhutan Population Pyramid 1988
Bhutan in 1988
As of 1988, Bhutan counted 556,986 inhabitants. Over the previous ten years the population grew by 37.4%, up from 405,243 in 1978.
With a median age of 18.5 years, Bhutan had a youth dependency ratio of 79.4 and an old-age dependency ratio of 5.1 per 100 people of working age. The pyramid is expansive: its wide base of young cohorts reflects high fertility and a rapidly growing population.
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 | 556,986 | 18.5 | |
| Maldives | 210,885 | 16.6 | |
| Afghanistan | 11,523,298 | 16.2 | |
| Sri Lanka | 16,078,621 | 23.1 | |
| Nepal | 18,638,661 | 19.2 |





