Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 29.9% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 86.4% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 86.8% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 28.6% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 38.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 89.6% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 98.9% more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.7% less likely to be literate
In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 47.6% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 43.7% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.3 times more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.3% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 90.8% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 60.4% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.