Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan
Bhutan: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 30.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan stood at 30.5%.
The figure is down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan peaked at 32.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 1950.
Bhutan ranks 223rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.8% | — |
| 1955 | 12.4% | +14.8% |
| 1960 | 14.3% | +15.0% |
| 1965 | 16.5% | +15.8% |
| 1970 | 19.2% | +16.5% |
| 1975 | 22.3% | +16.2% |
| 1980 | 23.7% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 25.1% | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 26.4% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 28.5% | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 28.8% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 31.1% | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 32.6% | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 32.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 30.5% | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.6% | 10.8% | 12.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 15.4% | 14.3% | 16.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 20.8% | 19.2% | 22.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.4% | 23.7% | 25.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 27.4% | 26.4% | 28.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.9% | 28.8% | 31.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 32.3% | 32.0% | 32.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 30.5% | 30.5% | 30.5% | 1 |
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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Bhutan was 30.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 32.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 1950.
- How does Bhutan rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Bhutan ranks 223rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.