Government spending as share of GDP in Bhutan
Bhutan: Government spending as share of GDP was 27.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
27.1%
Change on year
down 5.9%
World rank
90th
of 151 countries
All-time high
50.3%
in 2001
All-time low
24.2%
in 2019
Years of data
38
1987–2024
Government spending as share of GDP in Bhutan, 1987–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp in Bhutan stood at 27.1%.
That represents a change of down 5.9% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Bhutan peaked at 50.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 24.2%, in 2019.
Bhutan ranks 90th of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 47.5% | — |
| 1988 | 45.3% | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 46.8% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 35.8% | -23.4% |
| 1991 | 30.8% | -14.1% |
| 1992 | 34.5% | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 35.2% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 37.9% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 38.6% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 37.9% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 31.1% | -17.8% |
| 1999 | 40.2% | +29.2% |
| 2000 | 43.0% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 50.3% | +16.9% |
| 2002 | 39.3% | -21.9% |
| 2003 | 34.7% | -11.7% |
| 2004 | 31.0% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 36.4% | +17.5% |
| 2006 | 33.4% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 36.1% | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 39.3% | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 41.5% | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 36.1% | -13.2% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 32.5% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 28.9% | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 30.5% | +10.6% |
| 2017 | 30.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 31.7% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | -23.5% |
| 2020 | 30.9% | +27.6% |
| 2021 | 36.6% | +18.4% |
| 2022 | 32.1% | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 28.8% | -10.1% |
| 2024 | 27.1% | -5.9% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 27.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 27.1% is above the median for South Asia, which is 27.1%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.5% | 45.3% | 47.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 30.8% | 40.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.7% | 31.0% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.9% | 24.2% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.1% | 27.1% | 36.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 87 Burkina Faso 27.8% compare
- 88 Tajikistan 27.7% compare
- 89 Uzbekistan 27.6% compare
- 91 Nicaragua 27.1% compare
- 92 Chile 26.7% compare
- 93 Togo 26.4% compare
More economy & growth data for Bhutan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 2.82 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -72.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0008 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 3.56 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 26.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3328 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 1,495 includes gold, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate 24.21 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Bhutan?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Bhutan was 27.1% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.2% in 2019.
- How does Bhutan rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Bhutan ranks 90th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.