Bhutan: Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Bhutan's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) rose 7.65 percentage points on 2022 (from 93.56% to 101.2%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2022), the average change was +0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.18 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 14.19 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 10 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% 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 2023, Bhutan had the 14th highest value of the 32 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 2023 ranking

• Malawi — 10th of 32: 107.15%
• Namibia — 11th of 32: 105.5%
• Serbia — 12th of 32: 101.55%
• Australia — 14th of 32: 100.63%
• Eswatini — 15th of 32: 100.11%
• Georgia — 16th of 32: 100.08%

What this measures

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget measures the extent to which aggregate budget expenditure outturn reflects the amount originally approved, as defined in government budget documentation and fiscal reports. The coverage is budgetary central government (BCG) and the time period covered is the last three completed fiscal years.

Limitations: Although not all countries have used the PEFA methodology on an annual basis for the PEFA PI-1 indicator, the methodology relies on standard data sets for approved and final budget outturns which are commonly produced at least annually in every country. The countries that have not used the methodology to date are primarily highly developed countries which would have less difficulty in providing the necessary data than those in the lower and middle income categories that have been primary users of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) to date. (As of: 2024-07-29) One limitation of the indicator is that it is an aggregate indicator of budget reliability.

All 18 values

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 83.17% (2023)
• India — 98.67% (2024)
• Maldives — 106.49% (2024)
• Nepal — 77.65% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 92.05% (2023)

More public sector data for Bhutan

• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 11.71 billion (2020)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 6.43% (2020)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 32.2 billion (2020)
• Taxes on goods and services (current LCU) — 9.84 billion (2020)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) — 6.61% (2020)
• Customs and other import duties (current LCU) — 468 million (2020)
• Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) — 2.09% (2020)
• Taxes on international trade (current LCU) — 1.58 billion (2020)
• Tax revenue (current LCU) — 22.37 billion (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)?

101.2% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 10.04 percentage points from 91.16% in 2006. The highest value was 105.83% in 2013 and the lowest 85.32% in 2007.

How does Bhutan rank?

14th highest of 32 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) unusual for Bhutan?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GF.XPD.BUDG.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.pefa.org/node/5239, note: The raw data collected in order to calculate this indicator are the initially Approved and Executed Budgets. 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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