Bhutan: Lending interest rate (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Bhutan's lending interest rate (%) rose 1.22 percentage points on 2024 (from 10.54% to 11.76%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2 percentage points in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.73 percentage points in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.34 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 63% 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 2025, Bhutan had the 26th highest value of the 75 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 2025 ranking

• Guatemala — 22nd of 75: 12.85%
• Burundi — 23rd of 75: 12.37%
• Jamaica — 24th of 75: 12.14%
• Maldives — 26th of 75: 11.63%
• Iceland — 27th of 75: 11.01%
• Belarus — 28th of 75: 10.95%

What this measures

Lending rate is the bank rate that usually meets the short- and medium-term financing needs of the private sector. This rate is normally differentiated according to creditworthiness of borrowers and objectives of financing. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.

Limitations: Countries use a variety of reporting formats, sample designs, interest compounding formulas, averaging methods, and data presentations for indices and other data series on interest rates. The IMF's Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual does not provide guidelines beyond the general recommendation that such data should reflect market prices and effective (rather than nominal) interest rates and should be representative of the financial assets and markets to be covered. For more information, please see http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/mfs/manual/index.htm.

All 44 values

Lending interest rate (%) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 8.62% (2025)
• India — 8.57% (2022)
• Maldives — 11.63% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 11.24% (2019)

More financial sector data for Bhutan

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$87.16 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$87.16 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 140.94 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 3.16% (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 225.79 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 3.56% (2025)
• Deposit interest rate (%) — 4.5% (2025)
• Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) — 7.26% (2025)
• Real interest rate (%) — 8.34% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP)

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 lending interest rate (%)?

11.76% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is down 3.24 percentage points from 15% in 1982. The highest value was 17% in 1992 and the lowest 10.54% in 2024.

How does Bhutan rank?

26th highest of 75 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in lending interest rate (%) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2025, Bhutan's lending interest rate (%) rose 1.22 percentage points on 2024 (from 10.54% to 11.76%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FR.INR.LEND, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, 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.