Bhutan Road Safety Profile 2025

Outline

BHUTAN

ROAD SAFETY PROFILE


Supported by:


The ATO road safety profiles offer insights into the road safety in 28 Asia-Pacific countries by utilizing road safety related data from various sources and policy information extracted from a range of documents.

The profiles were created by the Asian Transport Observatory —in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO), and the International Road Federation (IRF)— as an input to global discussions on road safety, in time for the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco.

Country Summary

Bhutan, a small Himalayan kingdom, has made significant strides in recent years, particularly in its development trajectory. However, road safety remains a pressing concern. Despite improvements, the nation still grapples with considerable road traffic fatalities. In 2021, Bhutan experienced an estimated 95 deaths from road crashes, with road crash-related injuries accounting for 1.6% of all deaths in the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).


A notable challenge in understanding the true extent of the problem lies in data discrepancies. While the WHO estimates approximately 95 fatalities in 2021, the numbers reported by country statistics are significantly much more (about 1,400). This discrepancy underscores the need for more accurate and consistent data collection and reporting.


A deeper dive into the data reveals some valuable insights. The share of female fatalities in road crashes only slightly decreased from 30% to 29% between 2015 and 2021. Thee share of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, remains low at 5%. Additionally, the proportion of fatalities among minors (<14 years old) and seniors (>65 years old) is slightly decreasing.


The human cost of road accidents is immense, but the economic toll is equally significant. In 2021, road crashes cost Bhutan approximately 79 million USD. This includes direct costs such as medical expenses and property damage, as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity and pain and suffering. The high economic burden underscores the importance of investing in road safety measures.


Road crashes constitute about 94% of the total implicit costs due to fossil fuel subsidies in transport. IRAP estimates that an annual invesment of 25 million USD, or just about 1.0% of Bhutan's GDP, could potentially save about 0 fatalities per year.


Despite low road crash fatality rate per thousand road kilometers, Bhutan's road infrastructure, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists, lags behind the Asia-Pacific average. The low IRAP ratings for these vulnerable road users indicate a significant infrastructure design and implementation gap.


The increasing motorization rate in Bhutan, particularly the rise in two-wheelers and light-duty vehicles, poses additional risks. The high fatality rate per 100,000 registered vehicles underscores the need for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and improved driver education.


Benchmarking

The road traffic crash fatality rate in Bhutan for the year 2021 was 12.2 per 100,000 population. Compare this with Asia-Pacific average of 15.2 deaths per 100,000 population or against South Asia average of about 16.1, in the same year. WHO estimates the fatalities in Bhutan changing from 17.7 in 2010 to 12.2 fatalities per 100,000 population in 2021, equivalent to a -31% decrease. During this period, Asia-Pacific experienced an improvement of about -19% while South Asia also decreased by -10%


Bhutan had about 96 fatalities per 100 thousand registered vehicles.


Can Asia meet the 2030 target of halving fatalities?

  • Urgent action needed to reduce road fatalities The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 aims to cut road fatalities in half by 2030. An annual reduction of at least 7.4% is necessary to achieve this.
  • Asia-Pacific region falling behind Despite reaching a peak in road crash fatalities, the Asia-Pacific region is not on track to meet the 2030 goal. The average annual reduction in deaths between 2016 and 2021 was only 0.6%, far below the required rate.
  • Varying progress across Asia Using the 2016-2021 road crash fatality growth rate as a basis for estimates until 2030:
    • Only 3 Asian countries are projected to achieve the 50% reduction target by 2030.
    • 18 Asian countries are expected to reduce fatalities by at least 25%.
    • Worryingly, 7 Asian countries will continue to increase road fatalities, moving further away from the target.
  • In Bhutan, road crash fatalities decreased by approximately -7.6% per year between 2016 and 2021. Bhutan will be able to halve its road crash fatalities by 2030

Policy Landscape

Bhutan has firmly committed to improving road safety by aligning itself with the global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Bhutan has a target of road crash fatality reduction indicating road fatality reduced to 8 per 10,000 vehicles. Bhutan has a robust policy framework in place to address road safety. The National Transport Policy 2017 and the 12th Five Year Plan 2018-23 outline various strategies to improve road safety, including infrastructure development, vehicle safety standards, and driver education. However, effective implementation and enforcement remain crucial.

Annual road fatality reduced per 10,000 vehicles = 8 (12 - 2017)012th Five Year Plan 2018-232019

Active transport infrastructure expansion• >75% of urban road should be covered with dedicated NMT tracks Construct min. 10 km of footpath every year2050Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Bike sharingLaunch PBS system in Thimphu city2025Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
General active mobility• 18,515 public bicycles by 2050 • 1,850 docking stations by 20502050Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
General land use• Establish minimum 1 neighbourhood node with basic amenities and facilities close to growing cities - Thimphu, Paro, Phuentsholing, and Samtse2050Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
General parking measures• Develop and implement parking ‘de-growth’ plan in consonance with target of no more than 5,500 new vehicles per year, post 2030, permitted to register • Achieve 50% of parking ‘de-growth’ in preparation for gradual phasing out ICE passenger vehicles • 100% parking slots with parking turnover more than 5 in major urban areas should be digitised by 20302030Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
General public transportFrequency of urban transport services during rush hours increased = 10 mins (15 mins - 2017) Low/zero carbon emission vehicle penetration/ uptake increased = 0.04% (0.01% - 2017) Towns with urban transport system introduced = 4 (3 - 2017) Gewogs connected by public transport services = 153 (2017 - 148) Increase in public transport ridership = 10% (1.07% - 2017)202312th Five Year Plan 2018-232019
General public transport• 314 intra-city and 358 inter_x0002_city buses. • Out of the 314 intra-city buses, 96 BRT Buses to be deployed on 126 km route. The remaining buses would operate as conventional bus systems on secondary routes.2050Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Measures to increase car occupancyImprove vehicle occupancy in light vehicles and taxis by 50% and 25% respectively by 20352035Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Target - Modal shift• 25% modal shift for short (<3.5 km) trips from light vehicle, 2-W, and taxis to bicycling by 2040 50% modal shift for short (<2 km) trips from light vehicle, 2-W and taxis to walking by 20402040Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Technology and knowledge transfer 100% of traffic signals in large urban areas should have smart CCTV systems by 20402040Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Vehicle restrictions (import, age, access, sale, taxation)Phase out import of ICE passenger vehicles after 2030 Cap annual import of 2- wheelers and light vehicles at 700 numbers and 5,500 numbers respectively after 20302035Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) - Surface Transport2021
Vehicle restrictions (import, age, access, sale, taxation)Private vehicle demand management through shared mobility, traffic system management carpooling, ride sharing and rental services, import restriction on internal combustion engine cars from 2030 and introducing annual import quota system.2030Second Nationally Determined Contribution - BTN2021


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iRAP. (2024). Safety Insights Explorer. iRAP. https://irap.org/safety-insights-explorer/

Nirandjan, S., Koks, E. E., Ward, P. J., & Aerts, J. C. J. H. (2022). A spatially-explicit harmonized global dataset of critical infrastructure. Scientific Data, 9(1), 150. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01218-4

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division. (2022). World Population Prospects 2022. https://population.un.org/wpp/

WHO. (2023). Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023. https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/safety-and-mobility/global-status-report-on-road-safety-2023

World Bank. (2023). GDP, PPP (current international $). World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD

World Bank. (2024). Current health expenditure (% of GDP). World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS