International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Bhutan
Bhutan: International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) was 4.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
International tourism, expenditures in Bhutan, 2008–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total imports.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, expenditures in Bhutan stood at 4.2%.
The figure is down 22.8% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in Bhutan peaked at 8.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2015.
That places Bhutan 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of total imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 8.5% | — |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -41.3% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | -7.8% |
| 2011 | 4.4% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | +28.5% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | -37.4% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | +21.4% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | +24.0% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | -13.9% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | -22.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 4.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 4.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 3.7%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.7% | 5.0% | 8.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 3.7% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More private sector data for Bhutan
- Merchandise trade 83.3% (2025)
- Food imports 11.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.3% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 2.18 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 220.69 million current US$ (2024)
- Food exports 5.9% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 58.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 800.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 257.09 million current US$ (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,004 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in Bhutan?
- International tourism, expenditures in Bhutan was 4.2% in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5% in 2008.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2015.
- How does Bhutan rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- Bhutan ranks 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Their share in imports is calculated as a ratio to imports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from nonresidents to residents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.