BHUTAN  AT A GLANCE  
 

BASIC STATISTICS

 

Updated on March 25, 2005
 

 

This page provides information on Bhutan’s  Geographical Location, National Flag,  National Symbols, Socio-Economic Indicators including Population, Health, Education and Economy 

 

Location

 

Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayas bordered by India in the south, east and west and by the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China in the north.  It has an area of 47,000 Sq. Km. between latitudes 26  45 0 North and 28  10 0 North and  between  longitudes 88  45 0 east and 92   10 0  east. At its longest east-west dimension, Bhutan stretches around 300 kilometres and it measures 170 kilometre at its maximum north-south dimension. Bhutan shares about 1075 km of land boundaries with its neighbours - China 470 km, India 605 km. It is  roughly the size of Switzerland. The sparsely populated Greater Himalayas, bounded to the north by the Tibetan plateau, reach heights of over 7,300 meters (23,950ft.), and extend southward losing height, to form the fertile valleys of the Lesser Himalayas divided by the Wang, Sunkosh, Trongsa and Manas Rivers. Monsoon influences promote dense forestation in this region and alpine growth at higher altitudes. The cultivated central uplands and Himalayan foothills support the majority of the population. In the south, the Daurs (the gates) Plain drops sharply away from the Himalayas into the large tracts of semi-tropical forest, savannah grassland and bamboo jungles.

 

National Flag and  Symbols

 

The rectangular National Flag of Bhutan is divided diagonally and depicts a white dragon (druk) across the middle. The upper part of the flag is yellow, representing the secular power of the king, while the lower part is orange, symbolizing the Buddhist religion.

 

The National Emblem, contained in a circle, is composed of a double diamond-thunderbolt (dorji) placed above a lotus, surmounted by a jewel and framed be two dragons. The thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power. The lotus symbolizes purity; the jewel expresses sovereign power; and the two dragons, male and female, stand for the name of the country which they proclaim with their great voice, the thunder.

 

The national flower is the blue poppy, found in the high altitudes.

The national tree is the cypress, which is often associated with religious places.

The national bird is the raven, which adorns the royal crown. It represents the deity Gonpo Jarodonchen, one of the most important guardian deities of Bhutan.

The national animal is the takin, an extremely rare bovid of the ovine-caprine family. Found in heards in the very high altitudes (13,000 ft and over), living on a diet of bamboo. 

 
 

ADMINISTRATIVE

 

Local name of the country:         Druk-yul, Land of the dragon

Form of Government:               Hereditary  monarchy

Area:                                      Bhutan had originally 46,500 sq km. land area. This area  was mentioned

                                              in all text books upto 1990. But now government has reduced it to

                                              38,394sq km. or 14,812 sq miles 

Land Boundaries:                    1075 km: China 470 km, India 605 km

Population:                             887,693 in 2004 (752,693 inside Bhutan and  add 135,000 refugees

                                              in  Nepal and India)

Population growth rate:           3.1 percent per year

Capital:                                  Thimphu

Number of Districts :                20

Block ( Geog):                         201

Agriculture land:                      7.7 % of the total land

Currency :                               Ngultrum at par with Indian Rupees

Languages:                           National language:                  Dzongkha. Tshanglakha, Lhotsamkha ( Nepali)  and

                                                                                                    Khenkha are some of the other languages. English is also widely spoken 

           spoken in spoken    in                                                 in government, business, towns and cities.

Political Parties:                      No Legal Political parties or human rights organizations inside Bhutan

 

 
 

SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS

 

 

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

 

                                                                                    1984          1994            2001              2002-3

 

HDI from the global HDR)[1].                                             -                0.338          0.483 (98)       -

Country rank according to HDI (global)                              -               155/175        142/174          -

 

POPULATION

 

                                    1984     1994       1998      1999           2000            2001        2002          2003       2004

Total Population [2]         452,000  564,000  636,499  657,548[3]   677,932[4]   698,950[5]  716,423[6]   734,335  752,693   

Population growth [7]             -            -          3.1%     3.1%            3.1%           2.5% [8]     2.5%     2.5%

Age Composition % [9]

    0-14                                   -            -             -             -               -                    42.1             -

    15-64                                 -            -             -             -               -                     53.7            -

    65+                                    -            -             -             -               -                     4.3             -

Urban population (%) [10]          -            -             -             -               -                    21.0            -

Rural population (%) [11]           -            -             -             -               -                    79.0            -

Population density [12]              -            -             -             -               -                    14.1            -

  

HEALTH

 

                                                                                      1984        1994            2001              2002-3

 

Life expectancy at birth (years)[13]                                     47.5        66.1              66.1 [a]          -

      Life expectancy males [14]                                          45.8         66.0             66.0 [a]          -

      Life expectancy females [15]                                        49.1        66.2              66.2 [a]          -

Contraceptive prevalence rate [16]                                        -            18.8%           30.7%            -

Births attended by skilled health personnel [17]                     -            10.9%           23.7%            -

Infant mortality rate (IMR) per 1,000 live births [18]               102.8       70.7              60.5               -

Maternal mortality rate (MMR) per 100,000 live births [19]     770          380              255                 -

Under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) per 1,000 live births[20]         162.4       96.9              84.0               -

Under 5 malnutrition (stunting) [21]                                      -             56% (89)       40% (00)         -

Towns and gewogs reporting food insecurity [22]                  -              -                  28%[b]            -

Population access to safe drinking water [23]                      -             45%             77.8%              -

Access to safe sanitation (Pit latrines) [24]                         -             -                   88%                -

HIV prevalence (detected cases)                                       -             3 [25]             25 [26]             42[27]

Hospitals [28]                                                                   -             -                   29                    -

Basic Health Units [29]                                                     -             -                   160                   -

Doctors [30]                                                                    -             98 (98)           103 ( 99)           -

Population per doctor [31]                                                   -          6,510 (98)       6,384 (99)         -

 

EDUCATION

 

                                                                                          1984                1994                  2001

Adult literacy rate [32]                                                            23%                 54%                 [54%] [b]

Female literacy rate [33]                                                         -                       -                      < 20%

Net primary enrolment rate [34]                                               41.7% (91)        44.6% (95)        52.9% (98)

      Female primary enrolment rate (net) [35]                                    34.7%               37.7%               47.2%

      Male primary enrolment rate (net) [36]                                         48.5%               51.3%               58.4%

Gross primary enrolment rate [37]                                                         55.0% (91)        66.6% (95)         71.9% (98)

      Female primary enrolment rate (gross) [38]                                41.1%               54.2%               61.5%

      Male primary enrolment rate (gross) [39]                                    68.6%               78.9%                82.1%

Pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5 [40]                                  -                       73% (91)            86% (98)

 

 

LAND/INFRASTRUCTURE

 

                                                                                       1984            1994             2001

Number of villages with electricity [41]                                              -                  95 (98)         552

Length of roads (km) [42]                                                                      1,755 (85)      -                 3,746

Number of telephone connections [43]                                             1,880 (85)      -                 15,496

Proportion of land covered by forest [44]                                           -                   72.5%         72.5%

Proportion of land used for agriculture [45]                                       8.8% (83)      7.7%            7.7% (7,63,156 acres)

Area of protected land [46]                                                                       -                 23% (90)      26% (02)

 

 

ECONOMIC DATA

 

                                                                                             1984            1994          2001              2002-3

Income Data

 

Real GDP per capita (PPP$) [47]                                              901             1,338          1,534 (98)       -

Average GDP growth (1980 prices) [48]                                    7.0%             6.4%          5.7%              7.0% [49]

Per capita GDP US$ [50]                                                         -                   -                 -                     758

 

Per-capita GNP US$ [51]                                                         -                   -                 -                     673

Share of agriculture, forestry and logging to GDP [52]                 50.4%          42.0%         35.9%             -              

Share of manufacturing, mining and construction to GDP [53]     19.9%           22.5%         22.7%             -

Share of hydropower to GDP [54]                                             0.29%           7.04%         11.9%             -

Population below lower poverty line

      (612.1 Nu. per capita per month) [55]                                  -                  -                 25.3%              -

Population below upper poverty line

      (748.1 Nu. per capita per month)[56]                                   -                   -                 36.3%            -  

Consumer price index (change to previous year) [57]                  8.0%            8.1%          4.4%                -

                                                                                             

 

Fiscal Data

 

                                                                                    1984      1994                2001                   2002-3

 

Domestic Revenue (fiscal years, million US$) [58]             19.01     50.18 (93/94)     105.71 [59]            -

Fiscal Deficit/Surplus (fiscal years, million US$) [60]          +2.42    -12.63 (93/94)   -17.52                   -

Inflation rate [61]                                                              -             -                         -                     2.7%

 

 

External Sector

 

                                                                  1984      1994            1998           1999          2000        2002-3

Export/Import [62]

      Export (million US$)                                -              -               111.30         104.70      114.40         -

      Import (million US$)                                 -              -               136.10        162.30       185.20        -

      Balance of trade  (million US$)                  -             -               -24.80          -57.60       -70.80         -

Foreign exchange reserves (million US$)         39.6 [63]   106.9 [64]   216.7 [65]      259.00[66]  292.60[67]   355.00 [68]

Exchange rate Nu per US$, fiscal year           10.31[69]    31.37 [70]    38.4 [71]      42.60[72]    43.64 [73]     45.40 [74]

Debt service ratio

(Principal and interest relative to exports) [75]    -             20.3%          -                  -             4.6%          -

Debt to GDP ratio