Summary
- Exports
- $461million
- Imports
- $1.4billion
- Trade balance
- -$977million
Products
What it exports
Ferroalloys (43.8%) and airplanes and helicopters (21.1%) together make up 64.9% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (13.1%) and gold (5.8%) together make up 18.9% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 72 · Iron and steel | $213 million | $70 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $99 million | $81 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $94 million | $10 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $21 million | $8 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $12 million | $2 million |
| 44 · Wood | $7 million | $42 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $5 million | $3 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $2 million | $196 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $1 million | $16 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $1 million | $122 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 million | $12 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $771 thousand | $3 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $694 thousand | $16 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $653 thousand | $44 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $507 thousand | $8 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $384 thousand | $86 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $129 thousand | $188 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $101 thousand | $17 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $101 thousand | $11 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $65 thousand | $4 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $56 thousand | $547 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $42 thousand | $18 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $40 thousand | $8 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $34 thousand | $2 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $30 thousand | $9 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $29 thousand | $10 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $29 thousand | $47 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $28 thousand | $15 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $27 thousand | $37 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $25 thousand | $1 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $24 thousand | $52 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $17 thousand | $3 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $17 thousand | $2 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $15 thousand | $366 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $14 thousand | $7 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $13 thousand | $18 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $12 thousand | $8 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $11 thousand | $3 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $11 thousand | $12 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $10 thousand | $277 thousand |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $9 thousand | $3 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $9 thousand | $1 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $8 thousand | $267 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $7 thousand | $638 |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $3 thousand | $1 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $2 thousand | $1 million |
| 51 · Wool | $2 thousand | $416 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $2 thousand | $9 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $2 thousand | $24 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $1 thousand | $139 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $1 thousand | $3 million |
| 65 · Hats | $1 thousand | $162 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $933 | $2 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $808 | $3 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $739 | $691 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $656 | $533 thousand |
| 70 · Glass | $487 | $9 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $341 | $3 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $150 | $1 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $101 | $5 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $95 | $2 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $49 | $23 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $48 | $31 thousand |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $20 | $12 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $9 | $14 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $2 | $873 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $16 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $0 | $11 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $0 | $6 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $3 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $0 | $2 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $0 | $1 million |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $1 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $0 | $773 thousand |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $0 | $716 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $579 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $0 | $520 thousand |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $0 | $478 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $213 thousand |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $0 | $204 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $198 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $0 | $166 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $0 | $137 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $133 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $88 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $54 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $53 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $0 | $21 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $5 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $0 | $2 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $0 | $933 |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $59 |
Trading partners
India is its main destination (94.5% of exports) and source (81.6% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 436 | 94.5% | Land |
| South Korea | 13 | 2.8% | Sea |
| United States | 3.4 | 0.74% | Sea |
| Singapore | 3.2 | 0.69% | Air |
| Italy | 0.94 | 0.2% | — |
| Brazil | 0.73 | 0.16% | — |
| Japan | 0.73 | 0.16% | — |
| Spain | 0.68 | 0.15% | — |
| South Africa | 0.67 | 0.15% | — |
| Canada | 0.46 | 0.1% | — |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 1.2 | 81.6% | Land |
| Singapore | 0.11 | 8% | Air |
| China | 0.07 | 4.8% | Land |
| Hong Kong | 0.03 | 2.1% | Air |
| Thailand | 0.01 | 0.9% | Sea |
| South Korea | 0.01 | 0.4% | Sea |
| Japan | < 0.01 | 0.33% | Sea |
| Austria | < 0.01 | 0.3% | Sea |
| United States | < 0.01 | 0.22% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | < 0.01 | 0.22% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Bhutan accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 10-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 0.5
- Imports 1.4
- Balance -1
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $45 million | $28 million | $18 million |
| 1996 | $41 million | $31 million | $9 million |
| 1997 | $23 million | $42 million | -$19 million |
| 1998 | $103 million | $148 million | -$45 million |
| 1999 | $105 million | $206 million | -$101 million |
| 2000 | $24 million | $28 million | -$4 million |
| 2001 | $29 million | $29 million | $520 thousand |
| 2002 | $31 million | $45 million | -$14 million |
| 2003 | $57 million | $116 million | -$59 million |
| 2004 | $54 million | $231 million | -$177 million |
| 2005 | $303 million | $428 million | -$125 million |
| 2006 | $475 million | $448 million | $27 million |
| 2007 | $820 million | $517 million | $303 million |
| 2008 | $687 million | $586 million | $101 million |
| 2009 | $446 million | $559 million | -$113 million |
| 2010 | $347 million | $919 million | -$572 million |
| 2011 | $412 million | $1.1 billion | -$711 million |
| 2012 | $475 million | $1.1 billion | -$615 million |
| 2013 | $155 million | $253 million | -$98 million |
| 2014 | $177 million | $239 million | -$62 million |
| 2015 | $267 million | $471 million | -$204 million |
| 2016 | $267 million | $1 billion | -$778 million |
| 2017 | $361 million | $1.1 billion | -$770 million |
| 2018 | $460 million | $1.1 billion | -$639 million |
| 2019 | $443 million | $1 billion | -$600 million |
| 2020 | $277 million | $952 million | -$675 million |
| 2021 | $370 million | $1.1 billion | -$753 million |
| 2022 | $476 million | $1.7 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2023 | $557 million | $1.4 billion | -$847 million |
| 2024 | $461 million | $1.4 billion | -$977 million |
World rank
Bhutan rose from 184th to 168th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 184th in 1995
- 168th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 184th |
| 1996 | 183rd |
| 1997 | 192nd |
| 1998 | 170th |
| 1999 | 168th |
| 2000 | 198th |
| 2001 | 197th |
| 2002 | 197th |
| 2003 | 193rd |
| 2004 | 191st |
| 2005 | 168th |
| 2006 | 166th |
| 2007 | 156th |
| 2008 | 162nd |
| 2009 | 168th |
| 2010 | 175th |
| 2011 | 176th |
| 2012 | 178th |
| 2013 | 189th |
| 2014 | 187th |
| 2015 | 183rd |
| 2016 | 182nd |
| 2017 | 177th |
| 2018 | 171st |
| 2019 | 172nd |
| 2020 | 174th |
| 2021 | 173rd |
| 2022 | 172nd |
| 2023 | 170th |
| 2024 | 168th |
What it sells
Iron and steel became its top export group: from 20% to 46%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 2%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 0%
- Coffee, tea and spices 1%
- Wood 2%
- Inorganic chemicals 3%
- Beverages and spirits 5%
- Salt, stone and cement 20%
- Aircraft and spacecraft 21%
- Iron and steel 46%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Iron and steel | 20.5% | 46.3% |
| Aircraft and spacecraft | 0.04% | 21.4% |
| Salt, stone and cement | 1.8% | 20.3% |
| Beverages and spirits | 1.4% | 4.6% |
| Inorganic chemicals | 23.1% | 2.7% |
| Wood | 25.3% | 1.5% |
| Coffee, tea and spices | 0.35% | 1.1% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0.5% | 0.33% |
| Other | 27.1% | 1.7% |
Who it trades with
India went from 61% to 85% of Bhutan's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- India 85%
- Singapore 6%
- China 4%
- Hong Kong 2%
- South Korea 1%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 60.5% | 84.7% |
| Singapore | 0% | 6.2% |
| China | 0.3% | 3.6% |
| Hong Kong | 0.41% | 1.6% |
| South Korea | 0.06% | 0.99% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.