Demographics of Bhutan
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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.
[edit] Bhutan's bimodal population estimates
The Royal Government of Bhutan lists their country's population as 752,700 (2003).[1] The CIA Factbook estimates the population at 2,327,849.[2] What accounts for this discrepancy?
One explanation 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 -- see micronation for justifications in support of such a minimum). 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 countrys in the world and nobody knew how many people lived there since no census had ever been taken
[edit] CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
[edit] Population
- 691,141(July 2009 est.)
[edit] Age structure
- 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 106,410/female 102,164)
- 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 235,988/female 208,484)
- 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 20,169/female 17,926) (2009 est.)
[edit] Median age
- Total: 23.9 years
- Male: 24.5 years
- Female: 23.3 years (2009 est.)
[edit] Population growth rate
- 1.267% (2009 est.)
[edit] Birth rate
- 20.07 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
[edit] Death rate
- 7.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
[edit] Net migration rate
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
[edit] 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 (2009 est.)
[edit] Infant mortality rate
- Total: 49.36 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 50.38 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 48.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
[edit] Life expectancy at birth
- Total population: 66.13 years
- Male: 65.33 years
- Female: 66.97 years (2009 est.)
[edit] Total fertility rate
- 2.38 children born/woman (2009 est.)
[edit] HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.)
- Deaths: ?
[edit] Nationality
- Noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
- Adjective: Bhutanese
[edit] Ethnic groups
- Northern Bhutanese 60%, ethnic Nepalese 25%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
[edit] Religions
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.
[edit] Languages
- Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
[edit] Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 47%
- Male: 60%
- Female: 34% (2003 est.)
[edit] References
- ^ "Fact File". National Portal of Bhutan. http://www.bhutan.gov.bt/government/aboutbhutan.php. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ Bhutan entry at The World Factbook
- ^ http://www.dop.gov.bt/rep/index.htm
- ^ Bhutan entry at The World Factbook July 2009 est. - retrieved Apr 2009
[edit] External links
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2007 edition".
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