Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Nepal, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Nepal, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Nepal spends $332 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 11.1% more access to essential health services
Nepal scores 54 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 51.7% less likely to die by suicide
Nepal has a suicide rate of 10.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 64.2% more likely to be obese
In Nepal, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
have 45.3% fewer doctors per person
Nepal has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 69.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Nepal, 10.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 38.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nepal, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 2.9 times more money
Nepal has a GDP per capita of $1,536 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nepal, approximately 142.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Nepal, approximately 22.2 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.
have 33.9% fewer children
In Nepal, there are approximately 19.0 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 97.1% more likely to have internet access
In Nepal, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.2% less on healthcare
Nepal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 58.5% more on education
Nepal spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 56.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nepal, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 16.0% more likely to be murdered
Nepal has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 83.0% less strain on fresh water
Nepal withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 71.0% less home broadband
Nepal has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nepal, air pollution causes 76.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
Nepal emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nepal vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Nepal? See an in-depth size comparison.