Pesticide use in Bhutan
Bhutan: Pesticide use was 153 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Pesticide use in Bhutan, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 153 tonnes for pesticide use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.5% on the previous year and up 2,960.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Bhutan peaked at 181 tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2 tonnes, in 1997.
Bhutan ranks 154th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Pesticide use in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 5 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1992 | 5 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 1994 | 25 tonnes | +733.3% |
| 1995 | 29 tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1996 | 32 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1997 | 2 tonnes | -93.8% |
| 1998 | 2 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2001 | 3 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 tonnes | -33.3% |
| 2003 | 5 tonnes | +150.0% |
| 2004 | 7 tonnes | +40.0% |
| 2005 | 2 tonnes | -71.4% |
| 2006 | 6 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 2007 | 7 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 2008 | 6 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 6 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 2011 | 9 tonnes | +28.6% |
| 2012 | 7 tonnes | -22.2% |
| 2013 | 5 tonnes | -28.6% |
| 2014 | 3 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 2015 | 11 tonnes | +266.7% |
| 2016 | 18 tonnes | +63.6% |
| 2017 | 152 tonnes | +744.4% |
| 2018 | 174 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 2019 | 180 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 160 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 174 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 181 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 153 tonnes | -15.5% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 153 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,280 tonnes, 12% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 153 tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 1,487 tonnes, 10% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +744.4% | 18 tonnes | 152 tonnes |
| 1994 | +733.3% | 3 tonnes | 25 tonnes |
| 2015 | +266.7% | 3 tonnes | 11 tonnes |
| 2006 | +200.0% | 2 tonnes | 6 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.9 tonnes | 2 tonnes | 32 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.7 tonnes | 2 tonnes | 7 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.6 tonnes | 3 tonnes | 180 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 167 tonnes | 153 tonnes | 181 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
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 pesticide use in Bhutan?
- Pesticide use in Bhutan was 153 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest pesticide use recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 181 tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 tonnes in 1997.
- How does Bhutan rank for pesticide use?
- Bhutan ranks 154th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2,960.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Pesticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.