The Isolated Kingdom of Bhutan Has a Range of Progressive Laws for Human, Environmental, and Animal Welfare—But Might Be Hiding a Dark Secret…
Bhutan is a very special country. It’s a relatively small kingdom (with around 770,000 people) located on the southern side of the Himalayas. It borders China to the north and India to the south. This small Buddhist kingdom is quite isolated from the world. It has only one airport and just a few long, winding roads leading in from India—but few people ever use them. According to official data, only around 37,000 people visit Bhutan each year, and about 25% of those come for conferences or similar business purposes.
One of the reasons why tourists avoid Bhutan—or perhaps why Bhutan avoids tourists—is the hefty tourism tax, which amounts to $250 per day (for all citizens except those from India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives)! This fee is said to cover accommodation and meals, but for the average traveler, it’s simply too expensive. On the other hand, if someone decides to visit Bhutan and pays the high daily fees, they can feel good knowing that most of that money goes directly back into the community, mainly into the education system.
There are other restrictions too. For example, since 1994, climbing any mountain in Bhutan above 6,000 meters has been banned out of respect for local spiritual beliefs. And since 2003, mountaineering has been completely prohibited.
We mentioned Bhutan is a kingdom. Yes, Bhutan is now a constitutional monarchy, meaning the king mostly performs ceremonial duties while the country is governed by a parliament and prime minister. This is a relatively recent system, approved and introduced by the current king, 45-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel. He is the fifth king of Bhutan and has ruled since 2006.
While he has further democratized the country, it’s important to mention his father, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (still alive at 67, but abdicated in 2006 in favor of his son), who was the key driver of change.
Let’s briefly go back. Bhutan has been inhabited for around 4,000 years, but with the spread of Buddhism from neighboring Tibet in the 7th century CE, documented history begins. The country was gradually unified through a series of fortresses (called “Dzong”), built by local rulers, reaching an architectural peak in the 17th century.
Bhutan wasn’t always just a small hidden kingdom beneath the Himalayas. At one point, they were fierce warriors with ambitions of territorial expansion. They even conquered parts of India. But then came the British, who proved too powerful. Bhutan fought several wars with Britain before realizing that continued conflict was pointless. Instead, they made an offer: give us our freedom, and we’ll give you political loyalty. It worked. Since then, Bhutan and British-ruled India developed in parallel and maintained a strong relationship.
The British allowed Bhutan to remain free, knowing they could guide its foreign policy. In the end, that wasn’t even necessary. Bhutan became a peaceful kingdom nestled in the Himalayas, wisely preserving its independence and remaining geopolitically insignificant enough to avoid danger (though they do maintain a military just in case).
In this context, Bhutan turned its focus to other matters—such as environmental protection. According to Bhutanese law, 60% of the country must always remain forested. It’s worth noting that Bhutan isn’t so tiny—its area is 38,394 km² (for comparison, Croatia is 56,594 km²). This isn’t just lip service. For example, if someone wants to build something, the law requires them to plant trees elsewhere to compensate.
Bhutan has numerous national parks and protected reserves where wildlife can live undisturbed. These areas are connected by biodiversity corridors, allowing animals to migrate freely across the country.
And these aren’t just empty promises—environmental protection is at the heart of Bhutan’s national development strategy. The country’s constitution explicitly mentions the importance and need for environmental preservation.
Nearly 56.3% of Bhutanese people work in agriculture, forestry, or conservation. Bhutan is also one of the few countries with a negative carbon footprint—it absorbs more CO₂ than it produces (thanks to its vast forests).
Almost all of Bhutan’s electricity comes from hydropower, further reducing pollution.
Since spring 2019, plastic bags have been banned in the country. Instead, they use bags made of jute or biodegradable materials.
It sounds like everything in this Buddhist kingdom is peaceful and in harmony with nature. But is there anything that mars this idyllic image? Of course. In the mid-1990s, Bhutan violently expelled the Lhotshampa population—ethnic Nepalis living in southern Bhutan. Around 100,000 of them ended up in refugee camps in Nepal—about 17% of Bhutan’s population at the time!
But why? There were many reasons: ethnic tensions, claims that the Nepalis were “foreigners” in Bhutan… And of course, one big reason—though they might not admit it—is that the Nepalis are Hindu, while Bhutanese are Buddhist.
Another major reason may have been the influence of the Bhutan People’s Party, a socialist party in the 1980s, whose members were mostly Nepalis. The monarchy banned the party and, seeing them as a potential threat, expelled the Nepalis altogether.
The fate of these refugees was grim, as even Nepal wasn’t welcoming. Today, most of the 100,000 displaced live in Western countries—in Europe and America.
So what about Bhutan’s economy? It’s mostly based on agriculture, the timber industry, and selling surplus electricity to India. About 55% of the population works in agriculture. Industrial development is minimal.
In Bhutanese families, inheritance generally follows a matrilineal line—through women, not men. Daughters inherit the family home, and men are expected to fend for themselves, often moving into their wife’s home. Love marriages are more common in urban areas, but arranged marriages still dominate rural parts. Though not widespread, polygamy is accepted, often as a way to keep property within the family.
The previous king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck—who abdicated in 2006 and whom we’ll now focus on—had four queens, all of whom are sisters!
But what King Wangchuck is best remembered for is something else. For example, in 1999, he issued a decree allowing television in Bhutan—making Bhutan the last country in the world to introduce TV. He stressed that modernization made it necessary but warned that television must not destroy Bhutan’s traditional values.
His most famous “invention,” however, is the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH)—akin to GDP but in a radically different, holistic form. GNH has been officially measured since 2008, assessing how many people in the country are happy, how many are not, and how to help the unhappy become happy.
He emphasized that Gross National Happiness is more important than GDP because it addresses non-economic aspects of human well-being.
GNH differs from GDP by valuing collective happiness as a governance goal, emphasizing harmony with nature and traditional values, expressed through 9 domains of happiness and 4 pillars of GNH.
According to Bhutanese law, the four pillars of GNH are:
- Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development
- Environmental conservation
- Preservation and promotion of culture
- Good governance
The nine domains of GNH are:
- Psychological well-being
- Health
- Time use
- Education
- Cultural diversity and resilience
- Good governance
- Community vitality
- Ecological diversity and resilience
- Living standards
Each domain consists of both subjective (survey-based) and objective indicators. While all domains are weighted equally, the indicators within them have different weights.
Foreign experts have noted that the values underlying GNH are distinctly Buddhist. GNH is thus applied as part of Buddhism’s Middle Way, where happiness arises from a balanced life, not extremes.
Recall, one of Buddhism’s core teachings—Buddha’s insight—is that one must live along the middle path: not hungry, but not overfed; not sad, but not overly ecstatic either… just balanced.
The body responsible for implementing GNH in Bhutan is the Gross National Happiness Commission. It includes the prime minister as chair, secretaries from all ministries, and the commission’s secretary. The commission’s tasks include designing and implementing the national five-year plan and promoting related policies. The GNH index is used to measure the happiness and well-being of the Bhutanese population.
So what do the numbers say? Are all Bhutanese people happy? Actually—no. As of 2022, 48.1% of Bhutanese are considered happy. That’s an increase from 2008 when it was 40.9%.
The rest are statistically classified as “not-yet-happy,” meaning they lack certain conditions for happiness (which should be addressed).
The concept has been widely praised, including by the UN, and has inspired local versions in places like São Paulo, Brazil.
But there are critics too. Some believe GNH is just state propaganda, a smokescreen to hide the expulsion of 100,000 people simply because they weren’t Buddhists.
So what’s the truth? Is Gross National Happiness a progressive invention truly aiming to make citizens happy? Or is it a tool crafted to polish Bhutan’s global image and make the world forget about serious human rights violations against ethnic Nepalis?
As is often the case in an imperfect world, perhaps both are true—or, as Buddha would say, the middle way.
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