World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bhutan fits inside the median country 2.9 times.
Bhutan: 38,390 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Bhutan: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Bhutan’s highest peak towers 5,235 m above the median country’s.
Bhutan: 7,570 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 9.3 times as many people as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 796,682 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 4.7 times as densely populated as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 21 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 6.5 cm taller than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 167.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 5.4 cm taller than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 155.2 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 1.7 years older than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 29.4 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.5 more children on average than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 1.45 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 6.6% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 6.6% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bhutan: no data · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bhutan and the median country are practically level.
Bhutan: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 13 times the size of Bhutan’s.
Bhutan: $3.58 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 8% more per person than Bhutan.
Bhutan: Int$19,594 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Bhutan (Gini 5.9 points higher).
Bhutan: 28.5 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.2% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 3.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bhutan: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Bhutan’s.
Bhutan: 23% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: $162 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 1.4 years longer than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 73.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bhutan is 8% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country.
Bhutan: 13.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 3 times as many doctors per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 0.6 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 13% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 13% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Bhutan smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Bhutan: 19.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 0.75 points higher than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 5.08 (2018) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 41% more alcohol than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 3.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 3.8 times as much meat per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 14.7 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Bhutan has 169 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Bhutan: 3,107 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Bhutan: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 4.1 years longer than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 5.8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 13 times as many tourists per resident as Bhutan (2019).
Bhutan: 0.03 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Bhutan are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Bhutan: 91% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Bhutan and the median country are practically level.
Bhutan: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 43% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 43% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bhutan 100.
Bhutan: 100 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bhutan: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
The median country and Bhutan are nearly identical here.
Bhutan: 0.24 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 72% of Bhutan, but only 31% of the median country.
Bhutan: 71.6% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 43% more CO₂ than someone in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 2.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Bhutan’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Bhutan: 100% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bhutan carries 49% more fine dust than in the median country.
Bhutan: 24.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9% more likely to be murdered in Bhutan than in the median country.
Bhutan: 2.5 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
The median country and Bhutan are nearly identical here.
Bhutan: 12.2 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 14.0 °C warmer than Bhutan.
Bhutan: 8.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bhutan gets 3.2 times as much rain as the median country.
Bhutan: 3,225 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bhutan bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Bhutan fits inside the median country 2.9 times.
Which has more people, Bhutan or the median country?
The median country has 9.3 times as many people as Bhutan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bhutan or the median country?
People in the median country live 1.4 years longer than in Bhutan. Life expectancy at birth is 73.3 years in Bhutan and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Bhutan or the median country?
Men in the median country are 6.5 cm taller than in Bhutan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
