Bhutan: Surface area (sq. km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's surface area (sq. km) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 38,390 to 38,390).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 2.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 fall was 14.7% in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.51 a year. A straight line explains 64% 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 2024, Bhutan had the 132nd highest value of the 213 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 2024 ranking

• Denmark — 129th of 213: 42,920
• Netherlands — 130th of 213: 41,540
• Switzerland — 131st of 213: 41,291
• Guinea-Bissau — 133rd of 213: 36,125
• Moldova — 134th of 213: 33,849
• Belgium — 135th of 213: 30,689

What this measures

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.

Limitations: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. The data collected from official national sources through the questionnaire are supplemented with information from official secondary data sources. The secondary sources cover official country data from websites of national ministries, national publications and related country data reported by various international organizations.

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

All 64 values

Surface area (sq. km) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 147,570 (2024)
• India — 3.29 million (2024)
• Maldives — 300 (2024)
• Nepal — 147,181 (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 65,610 (2024)

More environment data for Bhutan

• Rural population — 450,682 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 56.57% (2025)
• Urban population — 346,000 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 43.43% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 58 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 5 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 63 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.87% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 2.66% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 5,270 (2024)
• Agricultural land (% of land area)

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 surface area (sq. km)?

38,390 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 18.32% from 47,000 in 1961 (0.32% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 47,000 in 1961 and the lowest 38,390 in 2018.

How does Bhutan rank?

132nd highest of 213 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in surface area (sq. km) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2024, Bhutan's surface area (sq. km) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 38,390 to 38,390). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 2.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 AG.SRF.TOTL.K2, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 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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