Bhutan population pyramid 2026
802,214 people in 2026 (projected). Bhutan’s pyramid has one of the highest male surpluses outside the Gulf and a base that has shrunk fast as fertility fell from 5.6 to about 1.4 since 1990.
- 2026 population
- 802.2Krank 167 of 237
- Median age
- 31.0 yearsoldest rank 129
- Fertility rate
- 1.43births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional6.8% age 65+
Bhutan population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Bhutan age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 19.8% of the population, while 6.8% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 73.4% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Bhutan’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 36.2: about 36 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (27.0 children and 9.2 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Bhutan’s population pyramid
A rapid fertility decline
In 1990 Bhutanese women had on average about 5.6 children; by 2010 the figure was about 2.3, and today it is about 1.4, well below replacement level. Child survival improved at the same time, with infant mortality falling from about 131 per 1,000 births in 1980 to under 20, and life expectancy rose from about 56 in 1990 to 73 in 2023. The pyramid now has a pronounced waist at the bottom: the bands under 10 are only about 60% as wide as the 30–39 bands, which hold the large cohorts born when fertility was still high. The median age has risen from 19 in 2000 to about 31. The guide to population growth and fertility explains why the population still grows for a while after fertility drops this low.
More men than women
Bhutan’s overall sex ratio, about 114 men per 100 women, places it near the top of the sex ratio by country ranking alongside Gulf states. The surplus is concentrated at working ages, at about 128 men per 100 women at ages 30–34 and 124 at 40–44, and it was already visible in 1975. The pattern is consistent with the long-standing employment of male workers from India on construction and hydropower projects, though the chart cannot show nationality. Net migration was negative overall between 1950 and 1999, a period that included the departure of a large Nepali-speaking population in the early 1990s.
Under the UN medium scenario the population, about 802,000 in 2026, peaks at about 884,000 in 2052, the year deaths first exceed births, and then declines to about 690,000 by 2100. By 2050 the widest part of the pyramid will be at ages 55–64.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Bhutan’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2052. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2050.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Bhutan is projected to record 9,783 births (about 27 births a day) and 4,827 deaths, a natural increase of 4,956. Net migration adds +633 people, ranking #76 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 296,671 births, 114,906 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +17,520. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +3,340 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 75.8 years36.2 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 72.1 years34.4 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 15.2 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 16.6per 1,000 births · 218 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 19.5per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 30.1 yearssex ratio at birth 104.8
Women in Bhutan are projected to live 3.7 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 218 to 16.6 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #72 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 30.1 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Bhutan
The median age of 31.0 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.43 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 73.8 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 802,214 | #167 | Largest first |
| Median age | 31.0 years | #129 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.43 | #188 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.7% | #120 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 73.8 years | #141 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 6.8% | #149 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Bhutan
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | 79,232 | 9.9% | 44.4K / 34.8K |
| 2 | 35–39 | 79,173 | 9.9% | 44.1K / 35.1K |
| 3 | 20–24 | 73,555 | 9.2% | 38.1K / 35.4K |
| 4 | 25–29 | 72,340 | 9.0% | 38.5K / 33.8K |
| 5 | 15–19 | 65,869 | 8.2% | 34.5K / 31.4K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Bhutan has 428,170 males and 374,045 females. That is 114.5 males per 100 females, ranking #11 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 53.4% of the population and females for 46.6%. There are 54,125 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 97.3 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 104.8 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Bhutan has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 169,982 in 1950 to 802,214 in 2026, a change of 372%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.0 to 31.0 years.
The under-15 share changed from 43.7% to 19.8%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 2.5% to 6.8%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Bhutan’s population is projected to grow by about 10%, reaching 882,340 in 2050. The median age changes from 31.0 to 42.2 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 9.1 percentage points to 15.9%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 14.6%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 883,872 in 2052. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 169,982 | 17.0 | 6.85 | 35.3 | 8,355 | 4,819 | +976 | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 224,084 | 17.7 | 6.70 | 36.4 | 10,927 | 6,039 | +1,481 | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 308,528 | 18.3 | 6.65 | 41.2 | 14,730 | 6,940 | +2,700 | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 433,404 | 17.8 | 6.51 | 48.2 | 19,285 | 7,269 | +2,307 | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 589,287 | 17.5 | 5.60 | 55.8 | 22,522 | 6,817 | −1,000 | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 596,863 | 19.0 | 3.38 | 61.8 | 15,029 | 4,887 | +3,940 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 701,632 | 23.0 | 2.25 | 68.8 | 13,262 | 4,663 | −922 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 770,006 | 27.6 | 1.50 | 72.3 | 9,973 | 4,832 | +287 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 786,385 | 29.4 | 1.46 | 73.0 | 9,958 | 4,805 | +291 | +0.7% |
| 2024* | 791,524 | 29.9 | 1.45 | 73.3 | 9,914 | 4,800 | −277 | +0.6% |
| 2026* | 802,214 | 31.0 | 1.43 | 73.8 | 9,783 | 4,827 | +633 | +0.7% |
| 2030* | 820,694 | 33.0 | 1.42 | 74.8 | 9,625 | 5,000 | −4 | +0.6% |
| 2040* | 862,128 | 37.6 | 1.43 | 77.1 | 9,039 | 5,919 | +67 | +0.4% |
| 2050* | 882,340 | 42.2 | 1.46 | 79.1 | 7,713 | 7,266 | +566 | +0.1% |
| 2060* | 878,277 | 46.1 | 1.48 | 81.0 | 7,251 | 9,016 | −124 | -0.2% |
| 2070* | 849,494 | 48.1 | 1.49 | 82.7 | 6,882 | 10,881 | +344 | -0.4% |
| 2080* | 799,952 | 48.8 | 1.51 | 84.3 | 6,171 | 11,886 | −13 | -0.7% |
| 2090* | 741,734 | 49.5 | 1.52 | 85.7 | 5,703 | 11,357 | −192 | -0.8% |
| 2100* | 690,432 | 49.7 | 1.53 | 86.9 | 5,456 | 10,399 | −163 | -0.7% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 24,897 | 23,794 | 48,691 | 6.1% |
| 5–9 | 25,262 | 23,971 | 49,233 | 6.1% |
| 10–14 | 31,942 | 29,068 | 61,010 | 7.6% |
| 15–19 | 34,517 | 31,352 | 65,869 | 8.2% |
| 20–24 | 38,136 | 35,419 | 73,555 | 9.2% |
| 25–29 | 38,522 | 33,818 | 72,340 | 9.0% |
| 30–34 | 44,431 | 34,801 | 79,232 | 9.9% |
| 35–39 | 44,058 | 35,115 | 79,173 | 9.9% |
| 40–44 | 35,956 | 28,898 | 64,854 | 8.1% |
| 45–49 | 29,716 | 24,282 | 53,998 | 6.7% |
| 50–54 | 22,047 | 17,991 | 40,038 | 5.0% |
| 55–59 | 18,116 | 15,566 | 33,682 | 4.2% |
| 60–64 | 13,788 | 12,444 | 26,232 | 3.3% |
| 65–69 | 10,566 | 10,242 | 20,808 | 2.6% |
| 70–74 | 7,671 | 7,809 | 15,480 | 1.9% |
| 75–79 | 4,617 | 4,806 | 9,423 | 1.2% |
| 80–84 | 2,535 | 2,882 | 5,417 | 0.7% |
| 85–89 | 1,045 | 1,282 | 2,327 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 297 | 421 | 718 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 47 | 78 | 125 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Bhutan’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Malaysia96% overlap · median age 31.4
- India94% overlap · median age 29.2
- Jamaica94% overlap · median age 33.3
- South Africa93% overlap · median age 28.9
- Cabo Verde93% overlap · median age 29.5
- Belize93% overlap · median age 27.3
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Bhutan.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Bhutan Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bhutan/
MLA
“Bhutan Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bhutan/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Bhutan Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/bhutan/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Bhutan in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Bhutan's population in 2026 is projected at 802,214.
What is the median age in Bhutan?
The projected median age in Bhutan in 2026 is 31.0 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Bhutan?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.43 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Bhutan's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 10%, from 802.2K to 882.3K.
What share of Bhutan is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 6.8% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 15.9%.
How many babies are born in Bhutan each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 9,783 births and 4,827 deaths in 2026, about 27 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 4,956.
What is life expectancy in Bhutan for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 75.8 years for women and 72.1 years for men, a gap of 3.7 years in favour of women.
Does Bhutan have more immigrants or emigrants?
Bhutan is projected to gain about 633 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +17,520.
What is the sex ratio in Bhutan?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 114.5 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.