Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 67.4% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 5.7 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 80.5% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 83.8% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 18.9% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 87.0% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.7% less likely to be literate
In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 24.1% fewer children
In Saudi Arabia, 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.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 30.6% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 34.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 93.4% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 37.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.1% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.