Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 57.3% less likely to be obese
In Australia, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 62.5% less likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 91.2% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 86.5% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 31.0% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 93.1% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 17.1% more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 23.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.5% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.6% more on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 69.8% less strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 92.0% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 85.7% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.