Bhutan: Merchandise trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Bhutan's merchandise trade (% of GDP) rose 17.7 percentage points on 2024 (from 65.59% to 83.28%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 22.18 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.88 percentage points in 2008. 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 upward, about 1.55 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 40% 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 45th highest value of the 188 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

• Solomon Islands — 41st of 188: 83.85%
• Bulgaria — 42nd of 188: 83.51%
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 43rd of 188: 83.5%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 45th of 188: 83.25%
• Guinea — 46th of 188: 82.72%
• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 47th of 188: 80.68%

What this measures

General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 46 values

Merchandise trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 25.76% (2025)
• India — 30.3% (2025)
• Maldives — 52.49% (2025)
• Nepal — 36.73% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 32.22% (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Bhutan

• 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) — 3.6% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% 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 merchandise trade (% of GDP)?

83.28% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 31.21 percentage points from 52.07% in 1980. The highest value was 95.64% in 2007 and the lowest 52.07% in 1980.

How does Bhutan rank?

45th highest of 188 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in merchandise trade (% of GDP) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2025, Bhutan's merchandise trade (% of GDP) rose 17.7 percentage points on 2024 (from 65.59% to 83.28%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TG.VAL.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Trade Organization (WTO); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB) 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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