Bhutan: Commercial service exports (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's commercial service exports (current US$) rose 106.3% on 2023 (from US$124.63 million to US$257.09 million).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +33.8% and a typical year strayed about 127.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 519.4% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 86.1% in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bhutan had the 18th highest value of the 29 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bhutan in the 2024 ranking

• Burkina Faso — 15th of 29: US$532.84 million
• Zimbabwe — 16th of 29: US$438.49 million
• Mali — 17th of 29: US$436.55 million
• Niger — 19th of 29: US$221.77 million
• Mauritania — 20th of 29: US$123.61 million
• Solomon Islands — 21st of 29: US$122.73 million

What this measures

Commercial service exports are total service exports minus exports of government services not included elsewhere. Exports of services are services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 19 values

Commercial service exports (current US$) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — US$6.97 billion (2025)
• India — US$411.63 billion (2025)
• Maldives — US$5.79 billion (2025)
• Nepal — US$1.58 billion (2025)
• Sri Lanka — US$7.05 billion (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Bhutan

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 83.28% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.18 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$800 million (2025)
• International tourism, number of arrivals — 29,800 (2020)
• International tourism, receipts (current US$) — US$84 million (2020)
• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 132.5 (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 150.3 (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 4.9% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's commercial service exports (current US$)?

US$257.09 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 511.96% from US$42.01 million in 2006 (10.59% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$257.09 million in 2024 and the lowest US$18.47 million in 2021.

How does Bhutan rank?

18th highest of 29 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in commercial service exports (current US$) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2024, Bhutan's commercial service exports (current US$) rose 106.3% on 2023 (from US$124.63 million to US$257.09 million). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +33.8% and a typical year strayed about 127.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.SERV.CD.WT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.