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Bhutan Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Kingdom of Bhutan
Capital Thimphu
Area 47,000 sq km
18,100 sq mi
Bhutan: Flag and Anthem
Bhutan: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 691,141 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.27 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 820,143 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 951,873 (2009 estimate)
Population density 15 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
38 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 8 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural 92 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Phuntsholing 45,000 (1997 estimate)
Thimphu 35,000 (2003 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Bhutia 50 percent
Ethnic Nepalese 35 percent
Sharchops 10 percent
Indigenous or migrant groups 5 percent
Languages
Dzongkha (official); the Bhutia speak various Tibetan dialects; the Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects.
Religious affiliations
Buddhist 74 percent
Hindu 21 percent
Indigenous beliefs 4 percent
Other 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 66.1 years (2009 estimate)
Female 67 years (2009 estimate)
Male 65.3 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 49 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 55.6 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 42.2 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 67.1 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,096 million (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,667.70 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 20.9 percent (2007)
Industry 42.9 percent (2007)
Services 36.3 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 ngultrum (Nu), consisting of 100 chetrum; Indian currency is also legally used.
Major trade partners for exports
India, Bangladesh
Major trade partners for imports
India, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, Pakistan
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft