Annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan
Bhutan: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 2.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2.0%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
10th
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.3%
in 1973
All-time low
1.4%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan is 2.0%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 30.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan peaked at 17.3% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1950.
Bhutan ranks 10th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.4% | — |
| 1951 | 1.5% | +5.9% |
| 1952 | 1.6% | +5.9% |
| 1953 | 1.7% | +4.4% |
| 1954 | 1.7% | +3.7% |
| 1955 | 1.8% | +3.0% |
| 1956 | 1.8% | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 1.9% | +1.9% |
| 1958 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 1960 | 1.8% | -5.5% |
| 1961 | 1.7% | -6.2% |
| 1962 | 1.6% | -3.5% |
| 1963 | 1.7% | +2.7% |
| 1964 | 1.8% | +7.3% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | +11.0% |
| 1966 | 2.3% | +13.3% |
| 1967 | 2.6% | +14.3% |
| 1968 | 3.0% | +14.7% |
| 1969 | 3.4% | +13.6% |
| 1970 | 8.2% | +142.7% |
| 1971 | 12.7% | +55.5% |
| 1972 | 16.7% | +30.9% |
| 1973 | 17.3% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 16.8% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 15.6% | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 14.1% | -9.5% |
| 1977 | 12.5% | -11.3% |
| 1978 | 10.9% | -12.8% |
| 1979 | 9.3% | -14.5% |
| 1980 | 7.7% | -17.2% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | -16.7% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | -9.7% |
| 1983 | 5.5% | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 5.2% | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 4.9% | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 4.4% | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 3.5% | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 3.2% | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +15.4% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.4% | 8.2% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More population data for Bhutan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.716 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.0644 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.716 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.7852 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 874.29 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5776 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5679 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 18.1 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 27,662 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in Bhutan was 2.0% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 1973.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1950.
- How does Bhutan rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- Bhutan ranks 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average annual rate of change of the share of the population living in urban areas.