Share of population living in urban areas in Bhutan
Bhutan: Share of population living in urban areas was 30.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Bhutan, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Bhutan is 30.5%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Bhutan peaked at 32.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 1950.
That places Bhutan 223rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.97 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.6061 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 2.67 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.49 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.34 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 225.79 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Bhutan?
- Share of population living in urban 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 areas recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 32.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 1950.
- How does Bhutan rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Bhutan ranks 223rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban 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 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.