The Bhutan Moderate MPI 2022 revises the structure of the original MPI, which was introduced in 2010 to measure acute multidimensional poverty. The moderate MPI measures a different threshold for poverty to reflect the aspirations of Bhutanese people and the government. It is based on data from the 2022 Bhutan Living Standards Survey (BLSS) and will be the MPI used to measure poverty in Bhutan from 2022 onwards.

This 2023 report introduces a moderate MPI and also presents trends from 2017–2022 using Bhutan’s original MPI. 

• Citation: National Statistics Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). (2023). Bhutan Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022, National Statistics Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.

Poverty Cut-Off: Any person who is deprived in one-third or more of the 14 weighted indicators is identified as multidimensionally poor. 

This 2017 report provides an overview of multidimensional poverty in Bhutan using the original acute MPI of Bhutan based on the data from the Bhutan Living Standards Survey (BLSS) 2017.

• Citation: National Statistics Bureau Royal Government of Bhutan & OPHI (2017). Bhutan Multidimensional Poverty Index 2017, National Statistics Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu. 

This 2014 report is the first official National MPI Report for Bhutan and offers results for 2012 as well as an analysis of changes over time from 2007 and 2010 using a slightly adjusted MPI structure.

• Citation: National Statistics Bureau (2014). Bhutan Multidimensional Poverty Index 2012, National Statistics Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.

Bhutan first developed an acute MPI in 2010. In 2012, the structure of the MPI was adjusted. A person who is deprived in 4/13 of the weighted indicators (30.7% of the dimensions) was considered multidimensionally poor according to the original acute MPI.

The annual global MPI produced by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative in partnership with the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme is an internationally comparable index of acute multidimensional poverty. OPHI publishes Country Briefings summarising poverty statistics of the global MPI for each country. 

Visit the most recent Global MPI Country Briefing for Bhutan based on MICS 2010. 

Official institution responsible for statistics

• National Statistics Bureau
• Poverty Analysis Reports – Multidimensional Poverty Index

Additional materials

• GNHC et al (2020). A Locally-disaggregated Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) for Bhutan

Events

• 27 September 2015 | Intervention by H.E. Mr. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan, at UNGA 70 Side Event 
• 19 September 2017 | Intervention by H.E. Mr. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan, at UNGA 72 Side Event
• 25 September 2019 | Intervention by H.E. Tandi Dorji, Foreign Minister, at UNGA 74 Side Event 
• 23 September 2022 | Intervention by H.E. Tandi Dorji, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Prime Minister at UNGA 77 Side Event. 

Press Releases/News:

• 6 May 2014 | Launch of Bhutan MPI 2012
• 29 November 2017 | National MPI Update 2017: Bhutan cuts poverty by roughly half in five years
• 17 January 2019 | Launch of the International Society for Bhutan Studies 
• 18 May 2020 | Rapid COVID-19 socio-economic impact assessment reveals deep, widespread and cross-cutting impact on tourism sector | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)
• December 2020 | A Locally-disaggregated Multidimensional Vulnerability Index for Bhutan | UNICEF Bhutan
• 22 June 2023 | Launch of Bhutan MPI 2022

Dimensions articles:

• August 2017 | A Day in the Life of Phuba

VNRs

• 2018 | Voluntary National Review 2018 of Bhutan (page 28). 
• 2021 | Transformations for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century: Bhutan’s Second Voluntary National Review Report on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (page 25)