Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 57.6% more spent on your healthcare
Bhutan spends $677 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 36.7% more access to essential health services
Bhutan scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.
be 25.2% more likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 13.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Bhutan has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Bhutan, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
be 56.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bhutan, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
make 79.3% more money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $4,493 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bhutan, approximately 47.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 40.3% more likely to be literate
In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 64.9% as of 2022. In Thailand, it is 91.1% as of 2022.
be 43.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 13.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 35.2% fewer children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.9% less on education
Bhutan spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Bhutan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.1 times more home broadband
Bhutan has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
live with 16.3 times more strain on fresh water
Bhutan withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
be 49.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bhutan, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 97.0% more CO2
Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bhutan vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.