Infant Mortality Rate: Bhutan

Analysis# Bhutan Infant Mortality Rate Bhutan's infant mortality rate stands at 13.7 per 1,000 births in 2024, representing a historic low and the culmination of dramatic progress over five decades. Since 1968, when the rate peaked at 192.6 per 1,000 births, Bhutan has achieved a 92.9% reduction in infant mortality. This transformation reflects one of the world's most sustained improvements in child survival, moving the country from conditions of severe mortality risk to rates comparable with upper-middle-income nations. The decade from 2015 to 2024 reveals consistent annual decline, dropping from 22.9 to 13.7 per 1,000 births. Each year recorded improvement without exception, suggesting institutional commitment to maternal and child health has embedded lasting structural change. The trajectory indicates Bhutan has substantially addressed the primary drivers of infant mortality—infectious disease, malnutrition, and inadequate prenatal care—through healthcare expansion and economic development.