Country page · South Asia
If you were born in Bhutan
1 in 13,444 babies · 0.01% of births · about 9,978 a year
Right now, about 0.01% of the world's babies are born in Bhutan — 1 in 13,444, or roughly 9,978 a year and 27 a day. Life expectancy there is 73.3 years.
How the 1 in 13,444 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Bhutan has about 9,978 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.01% — 1 in 13,444. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Bhutan, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 75.3 · men 71.6 | 73.3 years | 92nd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 17.2 / 1,000 | 1.7% | 93rd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 13.7 / 1,000 | 1.4% | 87th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 47 | 85th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.45 | 42nd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 13.1 years | 86th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 13.0% | 126th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $19,594 | 83rd highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 28.50 | 140th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 43.4% | 132nd highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 42.4% | 136th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 91.3% | 41st highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 2.5 | 82nd lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 25.5% | 67th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.20% | 99th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 19.6% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Bhutan compared with South Asia
Life expectancy in Bhutan is 73.3 years, against a South Asia average of 73.7. The under-5 death rate is 1.7%, versus 2.1% across the region. Income per person is $19,594, against $12,947 regionally; expected schooling is 13.1 years against 12.8. 43.4% of people live in cities, against 40.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Bhutan | South Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 73.3 years old | 73.7 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $19,594 | $12,947 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 13.1 years | 12.8 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 43.4% | 40.0% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 73.3 years on average, with roughly 17.2 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 13.1 years of school, and income per person is around $19,594. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Bhutan
The game draws Bhutan in about 1 of every 13,444 births. From there the life runs year by year: 73.3 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.7% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $19,594 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Sri Lanka — 1 in 610
- Chance of being born in Nepal — 1 in 239
- Chance of being born in Bangladesh — 1 in 38
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.