Drinking water service usage in Bhutan
Bhutan: Drinking water service usage was 65.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Drinking water service usage in Bhutan, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for drinking water service usage in Bhutan is 65.6%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 50.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water service usage in Bhutan peaked at 67.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 28.4%, in 2000.
That places Bhutan 106th out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water service usage in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.4% | — |
| 2001 | 28.8% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 29.3% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 29.7% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 30.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 30.5% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 30.8% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 31.1% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 31.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 31.8% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 32.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 37.6% | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | +7.3% |
| 2014 | 43.7% | +8.4% |
| 2015 | 47.1% | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 50.5% | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 53.9% | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 57.3% | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 60.6% | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 63.6% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 66.6% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 67.8% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 66.7% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 65.6% | -1.6% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 65.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 42.9%, 1.5× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 65.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 59.1%, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.2% | 28.4% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.8% | 32.1% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.1% | 63.6% | 67.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 103 South Africa 68.0% compare
- 104 Guyana 67.2% compare
- 105 North Korea 66.6% compare
- 107 Honduras 65.5% compare
- 108 Tajikistan 65.1% compare
- 109 Tunisia 65.0% compare
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.2782 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -5.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water service usage in Bhutan?
- Drinking water service usage in Bhutan was 65.6% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water service usage recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 67.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest drinking water service usage recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.4% in 2000.
- How does Bhutan rank for drinking water service usage?
- Bhutan ranks 106th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water service usage rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water service usage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people using an improved drinking water source that is located on premises, available when needed and free from fecal and priority chemical contamination.