Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
be 20.1% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 70.5% less likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.3 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 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 36.6% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 26.8% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 44.2% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 54.3% more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 38.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.7% less likely to be literate
In Thailand, the literacy rate is 91.1% as of 2022. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 77.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 52.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.9% less strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 80.4% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 49.2% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 96.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.