Bhutan's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 62.56% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.96 percentage points from 61.6% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 62.56% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 64.42% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 61.6% | 2015 |
| Highest | 66.94% | 2009 |
| Lowest | 58.59% | 2005 |
| Average since 2018 | 62.69% | 2018–2025 |
| First recorded | 58.59% | 2005 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Bhutan's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2024 (from 61.68% to 62.56%).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.73 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 4.05 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.43 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2018 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 8 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 2025, Bhutan had the 30th highest value of the 83 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | 62.56% | 2025 |
| World | 57.81% | 2019 |
| South Asia | 52.78% | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 56.6% | 2024 |
Closest to Bhutan in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 17 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 62.56 |
| 2024 | 61.68 |
| 2023 | 62.71 |
| 2022 | 59.34 |
| 2021 | 65.78 |
| 2020 | 64.42 |
| 2019 | 64.56 |
| 2018 | 60.51 |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 56.76% (2024)
- India — 52.77% (2025)
- Sri Lanka — 45.3% (2024)
More social protection & labor data for Bhutan
- Net migration — 455 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 31.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.63% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.83% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 59.65% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 74.48% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 67.69% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Bhutan's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?
- 62.56% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2005?
- It is up 3.97 percentage points from 58.59% in 2005. The highest value was 66.94% in 2009 and the lowest 58.59% in 2005.
- How does Bhutan rank?
- 30th highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for Bhutan?
- In 2025, Bhutan's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2024 (from 61.68% to 62.56%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.73 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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.
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