BT
Environment · South Asia · Lower-middle income
Bhutan: environment and emissions
CO₂ per person is 2.01 t (2024), 115th of 203 in the world and 3rd of 6 in South Asia. GHG per person is 3.55 t (2024), 111th of 203 in the world and 2nd of 6 in South Asia. GHG emissions is 2.8 Mt (2024), 160th of 203 in the world and 5th of 6 in South Asia.
CO₂ per person
BhutanSouth AsiaLower-middle incomeWorld
GHG per person
BhutanSouth AsiaLower-middle incomeWorld
15 indicators
Environment: Bhutan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within South Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ per personCO₂ emissions per capita, tonnes | 2.01 t2024 | 115/203 | 3/6 | 0.68 t | 1.29 t | 1.84 t | +31%since 2014 | 1.98 t | 1.60 t | 4.69 t | |
| GHG per personGreenhouse gas emissions per person, t CO₂e | 3.55 t2024 | 111/203 | 2/6 | 2.26 t | 2.86 t | 3.53 t | +11%since 2014 | 2.79 t | 2.58 t | 6.36 t | |
| GHG emissionsTotal greenhouse gas emissions excl. land use, Mt CO₂e | 2.8 Mt2024 | 160/203 | 5/6 | 1.4 Mt | 2.0 Mt | 2.7 Mt | +20%since 2014 | 4,675.5 Mt | 7,482.1 Mt | 53,206.4 Mt | |
| CO₂ emissionsCO₂ emissions, total excl. land use, Mt | 1.6 Mt2024 | 154/203 | 6/6 | 0.4 Mt | 0.9 Mt | 1.4 Mt | +41%since 2014 | 3,320.7 Mt | 4,634.0 Mt | 39,632.7 Mt | |
| MethaneMethane emissions, Mt CO₂e | 1.0 Mt2024 | 156/203 | 5/6 | 0.8 Mt | 1.0 Mt | 1.1 Mt | −0.8%since 2014 | 965.0 Mt | 2,116.0 Mt | 9,536.5 Mt | |
| Renewable energyRenewable energy, % of final energy consumption | 82.5%2022 | 12/212 | 1/6 | 91.4% | 84.8% | 83.9% | −0.3 ppsince 2012 | 36.9% | 43.3% | 19.7% | |
| Renewable powerRenewable electricity, % of output | 100.0%2021 | 1/206 | 1/6 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | ±0.0 ppsince 2011 | 19.3% | 24.8% | 27.8% | |
| PM2.5 exposurePM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure, µg/m³ | 30.1 µg/m³2023 | 49/200 | 4/6 | 31.2 µg/m³ | 30.3 µg/m³ | 32.1 µg/m³ | +5.6%since 2013 | 55.2 µg/m³ | 49.6 µg/m³ | 32.9 µg/m³ | |
| Forest coverForest area, % of land area | 70.4%2024 | 18/214 | 1/6 | 65.5% | 71.0% | 71.2% | −0.8 ppsince 2014 | 25.6% | 30.2% | 31.1% | |
| FarmlandAgricultural land, % of land area | 13.8%2024 | 167/210 | 6/6 | 14.5% | 13.6% | 13.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 58.3% | 43.0% | 36.9% | |
| Arable landArable land, % of land area | 2.6%2024 | 162/206 | 6/6 | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 49.3% | 18.3% | 10.7% | |
| Protected areasTerrestrial and marine protected areas, % of territory | 51.6%2025 | 6/213 | 1/6 | · | · | 49.7% | +3.6 ppsince 2015 | 4.6% | 12.4% | 17.0% | |
| Water withdrawalsFreshwater withdrawals, % of internal resources | 0.4%2022 | 164/177 | 6/6 | · | 0.4% | 0.4% | ±0.0 ppsince 2012 | 37.6% | 16.3% | 9.0% | |
| Freshwater per personRenewable internal freshwater per person, m³ | 99,883 m³2022 | 4/183 | 1/6 | 135,710 m³ | 111,169 m³ | 101,298 m³ | −8.1%since 2012 | 1,141 m³ | 2,496 m³ | 5,393 m³ | |
| Cereal yieldCereal yield, kg per hectare | 3,552 kg/ha2024 | 81/179 | 4/6 | 1,438 kg/ha | 2,469 kg/ha | 3,435 kg/ha | +9.1%since 2014 | 3,814 kg/ha | 3,366 kg/ha | 4,229 kg/ha |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Methane−0.8%1.0 Mt in 2024
- Protected areas+3.6 pp51.6% in 2025
- Cereal yield+9.1%3,552 kg/ha in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- CO₂ per person+31%2.01 t in 2024
- GHG per person+11%3.55 t in 2024
- GHG emissions+20%2.8 Mt in 2024
- CO₂ emissions+41%1.6 Mt in 2024
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Bhutan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Bhutan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Bhutan | India | China |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ per person | 2.01 t2024 | 2.17 t2024 | 9.32 t2024 |
| GHG per person | 3.55 t2024 | 3.01 t2024 | 11.03 t2024 |
| GHG emissions | 2.8 Mt2024 | 4,371.2 Mt2024 | 15,536.1 Mt2024 |
| CO₂ emissions | 1.6 Mt2024 | 3,153.8 Mt2024 | 13,124.7 Mt2024 |
| Methane | 1.0 Mt2024 | 861.6 Mt2024 | 1,485.3 Mt2024 |
| Renewable energy | 82.5%2022 | 34.9%2021 | 15.2%2021 |
| Renewable power | 100.0%2021 | 19.1%2021 | 28.4%2021 |
| PM2.5 exposure | 30.1 µg/m³2023 | 54.1 µg/m³2023 | 32.0 µg/m³2023 |
| Forest cover | 70.4%2024 | 24.4%2024 | 24.0%2024 |