International tourism, receipts (% of total exports) in Bhutan
Bhutan: International tourism, receipts (% of total exports) was 10.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, receipts in Bhutan, 2006–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, receipts in Bhutan is 10.7%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 30.8% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, receipts in Bhutan peaked at 21.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2008.
Bhutan ranks 60th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
International tourism, receipts (% of total exports) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of total exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 9.9% | — |
| 2007 | 7.4% | -25.4% |
| 2008 | 7.2% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | +23.5% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | +22.0% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +25.1% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | +36.2% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 21.6% | +27.5% |
| 2017 | 21.4% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -27.9% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | -30.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 10.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.7%, 1.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 10.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 9.5%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 10.2% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 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, receipts in Bhutan?
- International tourism, receipts in Bhutan was 10.7% in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, receipts recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest international tourism, receipts recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2008.
- How does Bhutan rank for international tourism, receipts?
- Bhutan ranks 60th out of 183 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, receipts rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, receipts (% of total exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Their share in exports is calculated as a ratio to exports 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 residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.