Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years longer
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 15.4% more access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 60.8% more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
have 26.9% fewer doctors per person
Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
be 69.6% more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.0 times more money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 58.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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.
be 30.6% less likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
have 23.9% fewer children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
be 16.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Safety
be 36.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 75.7% less strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.