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Bhutan

Location

  • Geographical region: Southern Asia, Asia
  • SDG region: SDG Central and Southern Asia
  • Least Developed Countries, Land Locked Developing Countries

Land

  • Total area: --- km2
  • Land area: 38,140 km(2020)
  • Land use by sector: 13% agriculture, 71% forest and 16% other (2018 - 2020)

People

  • Total population: 782,455 people (2022)
  • Population density: 20 people per km2 (2020)  
  • Urbanisation: 42% lives in urban areas and 57% lives in rural areas (2020)  

Economy

  • Total GDP: 8,141,626,868 USD per year (2020)
  • GDP per capita: 10,405 USD per year (2020)
  • Value added by sector: 19% from agriculture, 44% from services and 34% from industry (2020 - 2021)
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SDG 6 snapshot in Bhutan

  • Drinking water

    73 % of the population in Bhutan uses a safely managed drinking water service (SDG indicator 6.1.1, 2022)
  • Sanitation

    51 % of the population in Bhutan uses a safely managed sanitation service (SDG indicator 6.2.1a, 2022)
  • Hygiene

    93 % of the population in Bhutan has a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home (SDG indicator 6.2.1b, 2022)
  • Wastewater

    40 % of domestic wastewater in Bhutan is safely treated (SDG indicator 6.3.1, 2022)
  • Water quality

    --- % of monitored water bodies in Bhutan has good ambient water quality (SDG indicator 6.3.2, 2020)
  • Efficiency

    6 $/m<sup>3</sup> is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy in Bhutan (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2020)
  • Water stress

    1 % of the renewable water resources in Bhutan is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2020)
  • Water management

    33 % is the degree of implementation of integrated water resources management in Bhutan (SDG indicator 6.5.1, 2020) 
  • Transboundary

    --- % of transboundary basin area has an operational arrangement for water cooperation (SDG indicator 6.5.2, 2022)
  • Ecosystems

    12 % of the water basins in Bhutan is experiencing rapid changes in the area covered by surface waters (SDG 6 indicator 6.6.1, 2020)
  • Cooperation

    11 m$ is the amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Bhutan in 2021 (SDG indicator 6.a.1)
  • Participation

    + is the number of sub-sectors (out of 6) with a high level of participation by communities in Bhutan (SDG indicator 6.b.1, 2021)

Drinking water

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Bhutan, progress over time

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in Bhutan, by service level and location (2022)

Sanitation and hygiene

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Bhutan, progress over time

6.2.1a Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services in Bhutan, by service level and location (2022)

6.2.1b Proportion of population with a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home in Bhutan, by service level and location (2022)

Water quality and wastewater

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated > Domestic in Bhutan (2022), compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater flow (safely) treated in Bhutan, by source (2022)

6.3.2 Level 1 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality in Bhutan (2020), compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

Water use and scarcity

Water resources and withdrawal in Bhutan, total and per capita

Long-term average annual precipitation in depth: 2,200 (mm/year) (2020)

Renewable water resources: 96,582 m3 per capita (2017)

Water withdrawal: 449 m3 per capita (2008)

Environmental flow requirements: % of the renewable water resources ()

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources in Bhutan, change over time, compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Bhutan, by sector (2020)

Water-use efficiency for ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ only takes into account the proportion of gross value added that comes from irrigated agriculture, since that activity is associated with water withdrawal (other activities are rain-fed).

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time in Bhutan, progress over time, compared to other countries (and areas) in the region

Water resources management

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100) in Bhutan, progress over time, by dimension

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation in Bhutan, progress over time, by component

Very low (0-10) – Low (11-30) – Medium-low (31-50) – Medium-high (51-70) – High (71-90) – Very high (91-100)

International cooperation and capacity-building

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Bhutan, over time

6.a.1 Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance received by Bhutan in 2021, by sub-sector

Water and sanitation-related official development assistance includes water sector policy and governance, water supply, sanitation, water sector policy, water resources conservation, river basins development, waste management/disposal, education and training, agricultural water resources and hydroelectric power.

Annual expenditure for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in Bhutan, by funding source (2021)

Community participation

6.b.1 Procedures in law or policy for participation by users/communities and level of participation in Bhutan (2021)

6.b.1 Level of participation by users/communities in Bhutan, progress over time, by sub-sector