Bhutan's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) was US$84 million in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 110% from US$40 million in 2010 (7.7% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$84 million | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | US$94 million | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | US$40 million | 2010 |
| Highest | US$120 million | 2019 |
| Lowest | US$23 million | 2006 |
| Average since 2011 | US$87.3 million | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | US$23 million |
What the numbers say
In 2020, Bhutan's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 30% on 2019 (from US$120 million to US$84 million).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +14.3% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 36.1% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 30% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$5.5 million a year. A straight line explains 62% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2020, Bhutan had the 130th highest value of the 158 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 | US$84 million | 2020 |
| World | US$1.47 trillion | 2019 |
| South Asia | US$39.26 billion | 2019 |
| Lower middle income | US$139.93 billion | 2019 |
Closest to Bhutan in the 2020 ranking
- Ghana — 127th of 158: US$110 million
- Bermuda — 128th of 158: US$94 million
- Mozambique — 129th of 158: US$90 million
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 131st of 158: US$83 million
- Paraguay — 132nd of 158: US$81 million
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 133rd of 158: US$80.8 million
What this measures
International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.
All 15 values
| Year | International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 84,000,000 |
| 2019 | 120,000,000 |
| 2018 | 103,000,000 |
| 2017 | 105,000,000 |
| 2016 | 92,000,000 |
| 2015 | 94,000,000 |
| 2014 | 84,000,000 |
| 2013 | 83,000,000 |
| 2012 | 61,000,000 |
| 2011 | 47,000,000 |
International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — US$217 million (2020)
- India — US$13.04 billion (2020)
- Maldives — US$1.4 billion (2020)
- Nepal — US$197 million (2020)
- Sri Lanka — US$682 million (2020)
More private sector & trade data for Bhutan
- Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 83.28% (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$) — 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$84 million (2020)
- Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 132.5 (2025)
- Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 150.3 (2025)
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 4.9% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Bhutan's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)?
- US$84 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2006?
- It is up 265.22% from US$23 million in 2006 (9.69% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$120 million in 2019 and the lowest US$23 million in 2006.
- How does Bhutan rank?
- 130th highest of 158 economies with data for 2020.
- Is the latest change in international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) unusual for Bhutan?
- In 2020, Bhutan's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 30% on 2019 (from US$120 million to US$84 million). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +14.3% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TVLR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism 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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