Primary energy use in Bhutan
Bhutan: Primary energy use was 17.8 terawatt-hours in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Primary energy use in Bhutan, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use in Bhutan is 17.8 terawatt-hours, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.0% on the previous year and up 304.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Bhutan peaked at 17.8 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0273 terawatt-hours, in 1980.
That places Bhutan 146th out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Primary energy use in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.0273 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0.1306 terawatt-hours | +378.2% |
| 1982 | 0.1329 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 0.1301 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 0.1353 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1473 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1986 | 0.1805 terawatt-hours | +22.5% |
| 1987 | 0.3552 terawatt-hours | +96.8% |
| 1988 | 0.3801 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1989 | 0.3919 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 0.5737 terawatt-hours | +46.4% |
| 1991 | 0.5934 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 0.6002 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 0.6308 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 0.785 terawatt-hours | +24.4% |
| 1995 | 0.9527 terawatt-hours | +21.4% |
| 1996 | 1.09 terawatt-hours | +14.0% |
| 1997 | 1.26 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 1998 | 1.23 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 1.27 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 1.41 terawatt-hours | +11.2% |
| 2001 | 1.59 terawatt-hours | +13.2% |
| 2002 | 1.76 terawatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 1.84 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 2 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 2.32 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 3.42 terawatt-hours | +47.4% |
| 2007 | 2.61 terawatt-hours | -23.5% |
| 2008 | 2.42 terawatt-hours | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 3.11 terawatt-hours | +28.6% |
| 2010 | 3.64 terawatt-hours | +17.1% |
| 2011 | 3.78 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 4.13 terawatt-hours | +9.2% |
| 2013 | 4.41 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 4.4 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 4.61 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 5.07 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2017 | 5.39 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 6.15 terawatt-hours | +14.2% |
| 2019 | 6.27 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 9.08 terawatt-hours | +44.8% |
| 2021 | 14.65 terawatt-hours | +61.2% |
| 2022 | 15.74 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 15.74 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.8 terawatt-hours | +13.0% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 17.8 terawatt-hours is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 52.67 terawatt-hours, 34% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 17.8 terawatt-hours is below the median for South Asia, which is 76.55 terawatt-hours, 23% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +378.2% | 0.0273 terawatt-hours | 0.1306 terawatt-hours |
| 1987 | +96.8% | 0.1805 terawatt-hours | 0.3552 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.2011 terawatt-hours | 0.0273 terawatt-hours | 0.3919 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8974 terawatt-hours | 0.5737 terawatt-hours | 1.27 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.25 terawatt-hours | 1.41 terawatt-hours | 3.42 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.79 terawatt-hours | 3.64 terawatt-hours | 6.27 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.6 terawatt-hours | 9.08 terawatt-hours | 17.8 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More energy & mining data for Bhutan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 13.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 14.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Bhutan?
- Primary energy use in Bhutan was 17.8 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.8 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0273 terawatt-hours in 1980.
- How does Bhutan rank for primary energy use?
- Bhutan ranks 146th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 304.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.