Military spending in Bhutan
Bhutan: Military spending was 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ in 2016. ▲ Rising
Latest (2016)
31.32 million constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
162nd
of 172 countries
All-time high
31.53 million constant 2022 US$
in 2001
All-time low
11.26 million constant 2022 US$
in 1981
Years of data
46
1971–2016
Military spending in Bhutan, 1971–2016
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
In 2016, military spending in Bhutan stood at 31.32 million constant 2022 US$.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Bhutan peaked at 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ in 2001 and was at its lowest, 11.26 million constant 2022 US$, in 1981.
Bhutan ranks 162nd of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Military spending in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 18.41 million constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1972 | 17.92 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 16.51 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.9% |
| 1974 | 15.33 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.1% |
| 1975 | 15.18 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 14.75 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 14.14 million constant 2022 US$ | -4.1% |
| 1978 | 13.25 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 12.96 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 11.99 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 11.26 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.1% |
| 1982 | 11.49 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 11.36 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 11.43 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 11.28 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 12.98 million constant 2022 US$ | +15.0% |
| 1987 | 13.29 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 15.02 million constant 2022 US$ | +13.0% |
| 1989 | 15.84 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 15.92 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 16.97 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 19.52 million constant 2022 US$ | +15.0% |
| 1993 | 20.42 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 22.23 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 23.32 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 24.56 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 25.57 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 28.96 million constant 2022 US$ | +13.2% |
| 1999 | 29.16 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 30.14 million constant 2022 US$ | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 29.11 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 29.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 30.66 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 27.88 million constant 2022 US$ | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 26.60 million constant 2022 US$ | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 26.64 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 27.63 million constant 2022 US$ | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 27.33 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 27.95 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 29.97 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 30.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 29.60 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 30.89 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.4% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 485.52 million constant 2022 US$, 6% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.03 billion constant 2022 US$, 3% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.38 million constant 2022 US$ | 12.96 million constant 2022 US$ | 18.41 million constant 2022 US$ | 9 |
| 1980s | 12.59 million constant 2022 US$ | 11.26 million constant 2022 US$ | 15.84 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.66 million constant 2022 US$ | 15.92 million constant 2022 US$ | 29.16 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.67 million constant 2022 US$ | 26.60 million constant 2022 US$ | 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.21 million constant 2022 US$ | 27.95 million constant 2022 US$ | 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ | 7 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 159 Lesotho 44.77 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 160 Liberia 39.49 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 161 Belize 32.73 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 163 Guinea-Bissau 29.97 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 164 Mauritius 28.93 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 165 Sierra Leone 28.24 million constant 2022 US$ compare
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0671 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0727 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0153 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3489 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5881 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Bhutan?
- Military spending in Bhutan was 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ in 2016, according to Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 31.53 million constant 2022 US$ in 2001.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.26 million constant 2022 US$ in 1981.
- How does Bhutan rank for military spending?
- Bhutan ranks 162nd out of 172 countries with data for 2016.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.