Bhutan: Total reserves (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 7.64 percentage points on 2023 (from 20.03% to 27.68%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2.71 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 15.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 rise was 44.8 percentage points in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 972.04 percentage points in 1985. 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 3.14 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 81% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 11.54% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 4.83%, against 7.5% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Bhutan had the 61st highest value of the 96 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

• Kosovo — 57th of 96: 29.81%
• Papua New Guinea — 58th of 96: 28.85%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 59th of 96: 28.8%
• Guyana — 61st of 96: 27.43%
• Dominica — 62nd of 96: 27.39%
• Kazakhstan — 63rd of 96: 27.34%

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.

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

All 42 values

Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 20.48% (2024)
• India — 89.75% (2024)
• Maldives — 14.36% (2024)
• Nepal — 156.09% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 10.72% (2024)

More economic policy & debt data for Bhutan

• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$40.14 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$77.45 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$156.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$156.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$156.84 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (constant 2023 US$) — US$156.84 million (2023)
• Net ODA received per capita (current US$) — US$199.44 (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Japan (current US$)

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 total reserves (% of total external debt)?

27.68% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is down 1,984 percentage points from 2,011% in 1983. The highest value was 2,011% in 1983 and the lowest 20.03% in 2023.

How does Bhutan rank?

61st highest of 96 economies with data for 2024.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.DT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, 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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