Out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 25.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 25.5% for out-of-pocket expenditure in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.1% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan peaked at 28.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2001.
Bhutan ranks 111th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.5% | — |
| 2001 | 8.0% | -30.4% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | +38.8% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | +70.4% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -14.5% |
| 2005 | 16.8% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 14.8% | -11.9% |
| 2007 | 14.3% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 15.5% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 16.6% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 16.5% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 16.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 20.5% | +25.5% |
| 2013 | 20.3% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 21.2% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 19.8% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 20.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | -33.9% |
| 2018 | 13.2% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 17.8% | +35.1% |
| 2020 | 15.4% | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 28.5% | +84.9% |
| 2022 | 28.0% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 25.5% | -9.1% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 25.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 68% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 25.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 49.3%, 52% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +84.9% | 15.4% | 28.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.4% | 8.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.9% | 13.2% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 15.4% | 28.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More health data for Bhutan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -10 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0915 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,531 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 9 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.2986 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0299 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.3987 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Bhutan was 25.5% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 28.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2001.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Bhutan ranks 111th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.