Reuters AlertNet

Bhutan

$Small country map\n© Microsoft Virtual Earth$

Capital:	Thimbu
Area size:	47000 sq. km Slightly larger than Denmark
Time zone:	GMT +6
Currency:	Ngultrum
Area code:	(+) 975
Driving:	Left
Climate description:	Hot and humid in the southern region; cool, temperate in the inner Himalayas; severe alpine climate in the high northern region with substantial variation in rainfall throughout the country.

People

Standard of living

Economy & aid

Health

Disasters, conflict & migration

Language
Dzongkha is the official language. Nepali and dialects are also spoken.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide

Population

2007	0.7 million	U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006)
2006	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2005	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2004	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2003	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2002	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2001	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2000	0.6 million	U.N. DESA (2006)

Future population estimates
1.0 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)

Ethnic groups
The Bhutias, Drukpas and Tibetans make up 50 percent of the population, and Nepalis (known as Lhotsampas) 35 percent. There are also Lepchas, indigenous people and Santal, descended from Indian immigrants.
Source: NI World Guide

Religion
Buddhist 70 percent, Hindu 25 percent, Muslim 5 percent, others 1 percent
Source: NI World Guide

Percentage urban population

2007	11.8 percent	U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005
2006	11.4 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2005	11.1 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2004	10.8 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2003	10.5 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2002	10.2 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2001	9.9 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2000	9.6 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)

Year women granted right to vote
1953
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.

Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2006)

Percentage of population under 15

2005	33.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	38.9 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	39.5 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	41.8 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	42.3 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	42.7 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Average life expectancy

2005	64.7 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	63.4 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	62.9 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	63.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	62.5 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	62.0 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - male

2005	63.1 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	62.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	61.7 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	61.8 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	61.3 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	60.8 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - female

2005	66.5 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	64.6 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	64.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	64.3 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	63.8 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	63.2 years	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Infant mortality

2006	63 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	65 per 1,000 live births	U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	67 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003	70 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	74 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	74 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	77 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Child mortality - deaths before the age of five

2006	70 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	75 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	80 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2000	100 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Births attended by skilled personnel

1997-2005	37 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
1996-2004	37 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
1995-2003	24 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1995-2002	24 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1995-2001	No data available percent
1995-2000	No data available percent

Maternal mortality

2005	440 per 100,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2000	420 per 100,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006

Human development index (HDI rank)

2005	133	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004	135	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	134	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	134	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001	136	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	140	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)

2000-2006	19 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
1996-2005	19 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
1996-2004	19 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
1995-2003	19 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1995-2002	19 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1995-2001	19 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
1995-2000	19 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Percentage of undernourished population
No data available percent

Population with access to improved water

2004	62 percent	UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006
2002	62 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2000	62 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Population with access to improved sanitation

2004	70 percent	UNICEF and WHO 2006
2002	70 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005

Literacy - average

2004	47.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003	47.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002	No data available percent
2001	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Literacy - male
No data available percent

Literacy - female
No data available percent

Landlines telephones

2006	14 per 1,000 people	International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2007
2005	40 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Cellular telephone subscribers

2006	37 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	47 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Internet users

2006	14 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	31 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)

2007	46 (joint)	Transparency International 2007
2006	32 (joint)	Transparency International

Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
No (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
No (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb

Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent

GNI per capita, Atlas method

2006	1430 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	1270 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	1110 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	980 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	890 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	740 current US$	WorldBankDataProfileTables2008
2000	720 current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country�s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.

GDP

2006	0.9 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	0.8 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	0.7 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	0.6 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	0.5 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	0.5 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000	0.4 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Annual GDP growth

2005	6.1 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	7.5 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	7.1 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	10.9� percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	6.8� percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000	7.2� percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Annual inflation

2005	7.2 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	5.5 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	3.5 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	5.3 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2001	6.4 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2000	6.1 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007

Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available

Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available

Physicians

2000-2004	5 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
1990-2004	5 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
1990-2003	5 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1990-2002	16 per 100,000 people	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)

2005	<0.1 percent	U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2006
2003	<0.1 percent	UNAIDS 2006

Malaria
Risk throughout the year in the southern belt of the country: Chhukha, Samchi, Samdrup, Jonkhar, Geylegphug and Shemgang. P. falciparum resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine reported.
Source: WHO

TB cases

2006	96 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2005	100 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2004	105 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2003	111 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2002	116 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2001	122 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2000	128 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008

Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

Number of refugees originating here

2006	108073	Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2005	106537	UNHCR
2004	105255	UNHCR
2003	103978	UNHCR
2002	112263	UNHCR
2001	110780	UNHCR
2000	108897	UNHCR

Number of refugees residing here
No data available

Number of internally displaced people\Estimate

	No data available

No data available

Landmine casualties per year

2004	0	Landmine Monitor Report 2005
2003	0	Landmine Monitor Report 2004

Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (2005 )
Source: Landmine Monitor Report

Percentage of GDP spent on military
No data available percent

Percentage of GDP spent on education

2002-2005	No data available percent
2002-2004	No data available percent
2000-2002	5.2 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1999-2001	5.2 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1998-2000	5.2 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage of GDP spent on health

2004	3.0 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2003-2004	2.6 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2002	4.1 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2001	3.6 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2000	3.7 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

AlertNet makes every effort to ensure statistics are updated from the relevant sources as soon as they are available.

Unlike some other content on this website, the written content in this article may be republished or redistributed by any means free of charge. Any use of photographs and graphics on this website is expressly prohibited. You must check whether written content contained in other articles on this website may be republished or redistributed without the express permission of Reuters or the relevant third party provider.

Breaking stories

Asia