Migration, declining fertility causes of concern in Bhutan, says report

NIRMALYA BANERJEE, EOI, KOLKATA, JULY 30, 2023 : With a large number of Bhutanese nationals going abroad for study and work, the authorities in Bhutan have started worrying if the ageing population of the Himalayan kingdom will stand in the growth of its economy, according to a report in the online edition of Kuensel, the national newspaper of Bhutan.

It is not only that citizens with specialised skills in engineering, medicine, education, and information technology are migrating for better opportunities, but also the majority of people that are migrating or planning to migrate are young or economically active people who can contribute in building the country’s productive economy. 

The Bhutan Government in January this year confirmed that more than 30,000 Bhutanese were living abroad in 113 countries, about 12,000 of them in Australia, says the report. With about 10,000 Bhutanese getting Australian visas in the last nine months until March 2023 there is cause for worry for a country with a small population, says the report. The report quotes the Australian Bureau of Statistics that there were about 12,000 Bhutanese in Australia in 2021 against 5,953 in 2016. 

Figures from the Royal Civil Service Commission show that 1,462 civil servants have separated from civil service. Of them about 70 percent or 1,023 voluntarily resigned in the 2021-22.The attrition rate was 4.6 percent. In 2020-21, a total of 779 civil servants resigned of which 58.9 percent or 459 voluntarily resigned.

The government has also confirmed that the health and education sector are seeing an attrition rate of 7.5 percent and 8 percent early this year. 

From January to May this year, 531 teachers resigned, of them 416 voluntarily. Of 478 teachers who resigned in 2022, 307 were voluntary.

Similarly, 15 nurses resigned in January this year, while 374 nurses left their jobs between 2019 and 2022. The World Health Organisation recommends a doctor to population ratio of 1:1,000. However, Bhutan has one doctor for every 5,000 population. The shortage in manpower is being felt in every organisation and every sector in the country. 

Most Bhutanese favour Australia as their destination, and prefer to work as cleaners, cab drivers, labourers, and caregivers, says the report.

Along with this, the fertility rate has come down from six children per woman in 1982 to 1.9 in 2017 and 1.8 last year, which is below the 2.1 replacement level. With this, the population in Bhutan is ageing rapidly, says the report