Homicides in Bhutan
Bhutan: Homicides was 23.38 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Bhutan, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Bhutan stood at 23.38 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.3% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Bhutan peaked at 29.46 deaths in 2012 and was at its lowest, 13.46 deaths, in 2003.
That places Bhutan 161st out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.64 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 19.45 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 17.97 deaths | -7.6% |
| 2003 | 13.46 deaths | -25.1% |
| 2004 | 14.92 deaths | +10.8% |
| 2005 | 14.09 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 14.12 deaths | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 16.11 deaths | +14.1% |
| 2008 | 18.33 deaths | +13.8% |
| 2009 | 19.91 deaths | +8.6% |
| 2010 | 22.77 deaths | +14.4% |
| 2011 | 27.98 deaths | +22.9% |
| 2012 | 29.46 deaths | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 26.61 deaths | -9.7% |
| 2014 | 21.99 deaths | -17.4% |
| 2015 | 16.82 deaths | -23.5% |
| 2016 | 14.46 deaths | -14.0% |
| 2017 | 14.73 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 18.48 deaths | +25.5% |
| 2019 | 18.32 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 21 deaths | +14.6% |
| 2021 | 23.38 deaths | +11.3% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 23.38 deaths is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 743.83 deaths, 3% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 23.38 deaths is below the median for South Asia, which is 546.09 deaths, 4% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.8 deaths | 13.46 deaths | 19.91 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.16 deaths | 14.46 deaths | 29.46 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.19 deaths | 21 deaths | 23.38 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More social development data for Bhutan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0091 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,257 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -2.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Bhutan?
- Homicides in Bhutan was 23.38 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 29.46 deaths in 2012.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.46 deaths in 2003.
- How does Bhutan rank for homicides?
- Bhutan ranks 161st out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.