🇧🇹 Bhutan: Politics & Democracy
Only partially — Bhutan's V-Dem liberal democracy score of 45.7 (0–100 scale) puts it in hybrid territory: some electoral competition exists, but liberal-democratic checks are weak.
Current leaders
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Head of State
Tshering Tobgay
Head of Government · People's Democratic Party
Democracy trend
Voting alignment
Bhutan's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Bhutan a democracy?
Only partially — Bhutan's V-Dem liberal democracy score of 45.7 (0–100 scale) puts it in hybrid territory: some electoral competition exists, but liberal-democratic checks are weak. It ranks #72 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Bhutan improving or declining?
Bhutan's V-Dem liberal democracy score has declined by 2.2 points over the past decade, standing at 45.7 in 2025 (1-year change: 0.0).
Who leads Bhutan?
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is Bhutan's head of state; Tshering Tobgay serves as head of government (People's Democratic Party).