Bhutan vs India
Bhutan vs India: Government debt
Government debt in 2024: 108.7% of GDP in Bhutan and 84.8% of GDP in India, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Bhutan, by 23.9 percentage points, or 1.28 times that in India.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Bhutan has been higher since 2012, when it overtook India.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Bhutan at 115.5% of GDP and India at 75.1% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Bhutan | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 108.7 | 84.8 |
| 2023 | 117.2 | 84.8 |
| 2022 | 119.9 | 84.4 |
| 2021 | 124.5 | 85.5 |
| 2020 | 116 | 90.4 |
| 2019 | 100.8 | 76.5 |
| 2018 | 103.4 | 71.6 |
| 2017 | 104.1 | 70.7 |
| 2016 | 103 | 69.8 |
| 2015 | 90.2 | 69.7 |
| 2014 | 89.8 | 67.6 |
| 2013 | 87.4 | 68 |
| 2012 | 71.5 | 68.1 |
| 2011 | 62.3 | 68.7 |
| 2010 | 55.8 | 67.7 |
| 2009 | 61 | 72.7 |
| 2008 | 60.6 | 74.3 |
| 2007 | 67.3 | 75.4 |
| 2006 | 80.1 | 77.9 |
| 2005 | 80.8 | 82.4 |
| 2004 | 76 | 84.9 |
| 2003 | 68.5 | 85.9 |
| 2002 | 57.7 | 84.3 |
| 2001 | 52.4 | 80.1 |
| 2000 | 44 | 74.9 |
| 1999 | 39.2 | 71.3 |
| 1998 | 36.4 | 69.3 |
| 1997 | 33 | 69 |
| 1996 | 36.9 | 67.1 |
| 1995 | 38.8 | 70.9 |
| 1994 | 53.2 | 74.8 |
| 1993 | 60.2 | 78.3 |
| 1992 | – | 78.8 |
| 1991 | – | 76.7 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2025–2031
| Year | Bhutan | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 102.6 | 84.3 |
| 2026 | 116.2 | 83.1 |
| 2027 | 116.7 | 81.3 |
| 2028 | 115.7 | 79.9 |
| 2029 | 127.9 | 78.4 |
| 2030 | 122.1 | 77 |
| 2031 | 115.5 | 75.1 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bhutan vs India
Health
- Life expectancyBhutan: 73 years in 2023India: 72 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBhutan: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024India: 2.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBhutan: 19.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023India: 22.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBhutan: 3.44% in 2017India: 3.53% in 2017
- Suicide rateBhutan: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017India: 15.6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBhutan: 786,400 people in 2023India: 1.44 billion people in 2023
- Population growthBhutan: 0.69% a year in 2023India: 0.89% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBhutan: 1.46 births per woman in 2023India: 1.98 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBhutan: 43.4% in 2025India: 35.7% in 2025
- Median ageBhutan: 29.4 years in 2023India: 28.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBhutan: 6.4% in 2023India: 6.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateBhutan: 0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023India: -0.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Armed forces personnelBhutan: 6,000 people in 2000India: 3.07 million people in 2020
- National powerBhutan: 0.01% of world capability in 2022India: 9.94% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBhutan: 2.34% of the labour force in 2000India: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBhutan: 5 million TIV in 2021India: 2.86 billion TIV in 2025