Facts about Bhutan

Location: The Kingdom of Bhutan is nestled between two neighboring giants: China to the north and India to the South. Bhutan lies between 88 degrees 45′ and 92 degrees 10′ longitude East and 26 degrees 42′ and 28 degrees 15′ latitude North. It is a landlocked Himalayan nation that has managed to preserve its sovereignty and strong cultural identity despite infiltration of foreign cultural forces especially with the advent of television and internet in 1999.

Area: Bhutan has a total area of 38,394 square kilometers with an aerial distance of around 350km from east to west and around 150km from north to south.

Altitude: There is a great variation in altitude, from southern foothills at around 100 meters above sea level to 7,570 meters at Gangkhar Puensum on the northern border — the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. (Published heights vary between roughly 7,540 and 7,570 m; 7,570 m is the figure Bhutan’s own National Biodiversity Centre uses.) Bhutan restricted climbing above 6,000 meters in 1994 and stopped issuing mountaineering permits altogether in 2003, out of respect for the deities believed to reside on the peaks.

Population: 727,145 residents at the 2017 Population and Housing Census — the census total was 735,553 including non-Bhutanese present in the country on census day. The National Statistics Bureau projects around 784,000 for 2025 and 791,000 for 2026.

Districts: There are 20 districts in Bhutan, known as dzongkhags. Traditions, dress, festivals and dialect vary from one part of the country to the next — several dzongkhags have a language of their own alongside Dzongkha, and Bumthangkha and Khengkha are named for the places that speak them.

Capital: The Capital town of Bhutan, Thimphu, is an interesting blend of modernity and tradition. While you may see hip youngsters on the streets, you will also be awed by the Bhutanese way of living that is deeply engrained in the culture.

It is the world’s only capital city without traffic lights — traffic is directed by policemen in blue uniforms who show the way through graceful hand motions.

Political system: Since the Fourth King abdicated the throne in 2006, and the Fifth King officially ascended the throne in 2008, Bhutan went from being an absolute monarchy to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy.

Language: The official language of Bhutan is Dzongkha though there are other dialects spoken by the Bhutanese like Lhotshampkha, Sarchop, Khengkha, Bumthangkha, etc

Currency: The Bhutanese currency Ngultrum is pegged to the Indian Rupee. What a trip here actually costs, Sustainable Development Fee included, is broken down in our Bhutan trip cost guide.

Forest cover: Article 5 of the Constitution requires that a minimum of 60% of Bhutan’s land remain under forest cover for all time. The most recent national survey, the Land Use and Land Cover Assessment of Bhutan 2020, puts actual forest cover at 69% of the land area — a decrease of 1.77 percentage points on the 2016 assessment. Add shrub and alpine scrub, or apply the FAO’s broader definition of forest, and the figure rises above 70%. Either way it is one of the highest proportions in the world.

Carbon negative: Bhutan was the first country in the world to become carbon negative — its forests absorb several times more carbon dioxide than the country emits, as reported in Bhutan’s Biennial Update Report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Suriname, Panama and Madagascar have since joined it in the same group of carbon-negative nations.

Development status: Bhutan graduated from the United Nations’ least-developed-country (LDC) category on 13 December 2023, having met the graduation thresholds — a milestone in its economic development. (Source: UN DESA.)

Constitution:The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan was ratified on July 18, 2008.

National Day: The National day is the commemoration of the day when the First Hereditary King of Bhutan was crowned. It is celebrated on 17 December every year.

Religion: The state religion is Buddhism and next comes Hinduism in terms of popularity. There is a minority section that practices Christianity.

Independence: Bhutan was unified under its First Hereditary King in 1907.

Local Time: 6 hours ahead of GMT

Country code: +975