Demographics of Bhutan

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Bhutan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Bhutanese people in national dress at the Wangdi Phodrang festival

Bhutan's bimodal population estimates

The Royal Government of Bhutan lists their country's population as 752,700 (2003).^[1] The CIA Factbook in 2003 estimated the population at 2,327,849.^[2]

One explanation for this discrepancy given inside Bhutan is that the higher CIA numbers ultimately trace back to an inflated population number the Bhutanese government supplied to the United Nations in the early 1970s in order to gain entry into that body (the UN reportedly had a cutoff population of one million at that time). According to this theory the CIA population experts have retained this original inflated number year after year while adjusting it each year for normal population growth.

An alternative theory is that the western and central districts of the country wish to underestimate the populations of the southern and eastern districts in order to maintain their historical dominance over those districts. This is the claim made by some Bhutanese refugee groups. Certainly the government numbers do not include people in the refugee camps in Nepal and other persons forced out of Bhutan, which total approximately 125,000.

The Bhutanese numbers can be reconstructed from their 9th Five Year Plan documents,^[3] which lists the exact number of households in each gewog. If the Bhutanese refugee advocate groups are correct, a spot check of a southern gewog should show a massive under-reporting of population (although this would have to be done by a non-interested party to have credibility).

The CIA World Fact book number has since been adjusted with a note of former inconstancies, and explains the difference on the old numbers from the government not including the "first modern census of Bhutan, conducted in 2005".^[4] It should also be noted in the 1970s Bhutan was one of the most isolated countries in the world and nobody knew how many people lived there since no census had ever been taken.

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Nationality

Noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)

Adjective: Bhutanese

Ethnic groups

Main article: Ethnic groups in Bhutan

Ngalop (Northern Bhutanese) 50%, Lhotshampa (ethnic Nepalese) 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%^[2]

Religions

Main article: Religion in Bhutan

Approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of the population practice Drukpa Kagyupa or Ningmapa Buddhism, both of which are disciplines of Mahayana Buddhism. Approximately one-quarter of the population is ethnic Nepalese and practice Hinduism. They live mainly in the south and follow the Shaivite, Vaishnavite, Shakta, Ghanapathi, Puranic, and Vedic schools. Christians both Roman Catholic and Protestant and nonreligious groups comprised less than 1 percent of the population. Bön, the country's animist and shamanistic belief system, revolves around the worship of nature and predates Buddhism. Very few citizens adhere exclusively to this religious group.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Bhutan

Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects. Ethnologue lists 25 languages for Bhutan. Up to 109,000 immigrants speak Assamese.^[5]

• Nepali: 256,000^[5] (40.1%)
• Dzongkha: 160,000 (2006)^[5] (25.1%)
• Tshangla: 157,000^[5] (24.6%)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 47%

Male: 60%

Female: 34% (2003 est.)

Population

708,427 (July 2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 28.9% (male 104,622/female 100,383)

15-64 years: 65.3% (male 245,054/female 217,864)

65 years and over: 5.7% (male 21,347/female 19,157) (2011 est.)

Median age

Total: 24.8 years

Male: 25.4 years

Female: 24.2 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

1.201% (2011 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female

Total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 67.3 years

Male: 66.46 years

Female: 68.19 years (2011 est.)

Vital statistics

Below is a table of Bhutan vital statistics since 1950 published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.^[6]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR[note 1]	CDR[note 1]	NC[note 1]	TFR[note 1]	IMR[note 1]
1950-1955	9,000	5,000	4,000	47.9	27.1	20.8	6.67	184.8
1955-1960	10,000	6,000	5,000	49.0	26.8	22.3	6.67	181.4
1960-1965	12,000	6,000	6,000	48.5	25.7	22.8	6.67	174.1
1965-1970	13,000	7,000	7,000	47.8	24.1	23.8	6.67	163.1
1970-1975	16,000	7,000	8,000	47.0	22.0	25.1	6.67	149.3
1975-1980	18,000	8,000	10,000	45.8	19.6	26.2	6.67	133.2
1980-1985	20,000	8,000	12,000	42.7	17.1	25.6	6.39	117.1
1985-1990	21,000	8,000	13,000	40.4	15.0	25.3	6.11	104.0
1990-1995	19,000	7,000	12,000	35.2	12.5	22.7	5.27	87.5
1995-2000	16,000	5,000	11,000	29.2	9.9	19.3	4.13	69.7
2000-2005	15,000	5,000	11,000	25.2	7.9	17.2	3.30	52.8
2005-2010	15,000	5,000	10,000	21.5	7.2	14.4	2.61	44.4
^ a b c d e CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

HIV/AIDS

Main article: HIV/AIDS in Bhutan

In 2011, there were 246 reported cases of HIV in Bhutan, representing just over 0.3% of the population.^[7] In July 2010, there were a total of 217 cases detected, however Health Ministry sources indicated actual numbers were estimated at more than 500 by UNAIDS.^[8]

Through July 2010, there had been a total of 40 deaths due to HIV/AIDS-related causes, and one suicide.^[8]:6

References

1. ^ "Fact File". National Portal of Bhutan. http://www.bhutan.gov.bt/government/aboutbhutan.php. Retrieved 2008-01-06. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Bhutan entry at The World Factbook
3. ^ http://www.dop.gov.bt/rep/index.htm
4. ^ Bhutan entry at The World Factbook July 2009 est. - retrieved Apr 2009
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Ethnologue Report on Bhutan. Accessed 2010-04-02.
6. ^ "Bhutan: Demographic Profile, Medium Variant 1950–2100". World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, Population Projections and Estimates Section. http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unpp/Panel_profiles.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-30.  (entry: Bhutan)
7. ^ "The Ministry of Health has Detected…". Bhutan Observer online. 2011-08-01. http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/ministry-health-detected/. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "An Update on Human Immuno Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)" (PDF). Bhutan Ministry of Health. 2010-07-01. http://www.health.gov.bt/doph/cdd/update_HIV2010.pdf. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 

External links

• Bhutanese people: a photo gallery
• Population cartogram of Bhutan

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2007 edition".