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Science in Bhutan

Bhutan ranks #140 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#160 all time), with 917 research works and 4.9% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#140
of 189 · #160 all time
Works, 2022-now
917
▲ 32% vs 2018-21
Citations
18k
8.2 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
4.9%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.75×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
0
0 in the top 1,000
Open access
74%
world 40%
International
35%
world 18%
Bhutan

Which fields of science does Bhutan work in?

In 2022-now, 35% of research in Bhutan is in Social Sciences, 32% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (20%), Medicine (13%), Environmental Science (13%). It does 1.4× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 354 fractional works · 35.3% of its workSocial Sciences: 205 fractional works · 20.4% of its workEducation: 113 fractional works · 11.2% of its workSociology and Political Science: 33 fractional works · 3.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 19 fractional works · 1.9% of its workSafety Research: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGender Studies: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDemography: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCommunication: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnthropology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLinguistics and Language: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workTransportation: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPsychology: 53 fractional works · 5.3% of its workSocial Psychology: 24 fractional works · 2.4% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 13 fractional works · 1.3% of its workClinical Psychology: 11 fractional works · 1.1% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 42 fractional works · 4.2% of its workStrategy and Management: 10 fractional works · 1.0% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAccounting: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workManagement Information Systems: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMarketing: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBusiness and International Management: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 22 fractional works · 2.2% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 17 fractional works · 1.7% of its workFinance: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 20 fractional works · 2.0% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPhilosophy: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDecision Sciences: 12 fractional works · 1.2% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPhysical Sciences: 317 fractional works · 31.6% of its workEnvironmental Science: 127 fractional works · 12.7% of its workEcology: 28 fractional works · 2.8% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 25 fractional works · 2.5% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 15 fractional works · 1.5% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 12 fractional works · 1.2% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 10 fractional works · 1.0% of its workWater Science and Technology: 10 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEcological Modeling: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPollution: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 92 fractional works · 9.2% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 20 fractional works · 2.0% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 12 fractional works · 1.2% of its workBuilding and Construction: 12 fractional works · 1.2% of its workMechanical Engineering: 11 fractional works · 1.1% of its workMedia Technology: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 7 fractional works · 0.6% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAerospace Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComputer Science: 59 fractional works · 5.9% of its workInformation Systems: 28 fractional works · 2.7% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 12 fractional works · 1.2% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workComputer Science Applications: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 12 fractional works · 1.1% of its workAtmospheric Science: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMathematics: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workApplied Mathematics: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workModeling and Simulation: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workChemistry: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 171 fractional works · 17.0% of its workMedicine: 135 fractional works · 13.4% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 22 fractional works · 2.2% of its workEpidemiology: 15 fractional works · 1.5% of its workSurgery: 15 fractional works · 1.4% of its workInfectious Diseases: 14 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 9 fractional works · 0.9% of its workOncology: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOphthalmology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNeurology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medicine: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysiology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 15 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 26 fractional works · 2.6% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 17 fractional works · 1.7% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNursing: 7 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDentistry: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workVeterinary: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 162 fractional works · 16.2% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 112 fractional works · 11.2% of its workPlant Science: 39 fractional works · 3.9% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 29 fractional works · 2.9% of its workFood Science: 9 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSoil Science: 8 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workInsect Science: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workForestry: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAquatic Science: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 30 fractional works · 3.0% of its workMolecular Biology: 14 fractional works · 1.4% of its workGenetics: 10 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.6% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 11 fractional works · 1.1% of its workVirology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workParasitology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workImmunology: 3 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 5 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workNeuroscience: 4 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKBhutan1,005fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences16%Physical Sciences32%Health Sciences17%Social Sciences35%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences20520.4%
    2. Psychology535.3%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting424.2%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance222.2%
    5. Arts and Humanities202.0%
    6. Decision Sciences121.2%
    1. Environmental Science12712.7%
    2. Engineering929.2%
    3. Computer Science595.9%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences121.1%
    5. Mathematics80.8%
    6. Energy70.7%
    7. Materials Science60.6%
    8. Physics and Astronomy30.3%
    9. Chemistry20.2%
    10. Chemical Engineering10.1%
    1. Medicine13513.4%
    2. Health Professions262.6%
    3. Nursing70.7%
    4. Dentistry20.2%
    5. Veterinary10.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences11211.2%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology303.0%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology111.1%
    4. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics50.5%
    5. Neuroscience40.4%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Bhutan?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Biodiversity, Technology Integration, Educational Technology, Sustainability, Teaching Strategies, Mobile Learning and Education.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Climate Change90▲ 3.3×71 topics
  2. Sustainability48▲ 1.96×55 topics
  3. Epidemiology46▲ 1.16×75 topics
  4. Educational Technology40▲ 3.4×22 topics
  5. Biodiversity37▲ 4.9×22 topics
  6. Education37▲ 2.2×28 topics
  7. Globalization33▲ 1.65×37 topics
  8. E-Learning29▲ 3.0×11 topics
  9. Technology Integration28▲ 8.7×8 topics
  10. Online Learning27▲ 3.3×9 topics
  11. Environmental Impact27▲ 1.59×31 topics
  12. Remote Sensing27▲ 2.2×21 topics
  13. Renewable Energy25▲ 1.73×28 topics
  14. Teaching Strategies24▲ 8.4×5 topics
  15. Mobile Learning22▲ 6.3×4 topics
  16. Meta-Analysis21▲ 3.5×11 topics
  17. Invasive Species20▲ 4.8×16 topics
  18. Social Justice19▲ 3.2×13 topics
  19. Student Satisfaction19▲ 10×2 topics
  20. Higher Education18▲ 3.3×14 topics
  21. Student Engagement18▲ 4.4×10 topics
  22. Conservation17▲ 3.9×16 topics
  23. Google Classroom16▲ 16×1 topic
  24. Teacher Perception16▲ 15×1 topic
  25. 21st Century Skills16▲ 5.6×6 topics
  26. Biogeography16▲ 5.6×13 topics
  27. Habitat Fragmentation15▲ 7.0×5 topics
  28. Adaptation15▲ 4.9×6 topics
  29. Global Change15▲ 5.5×5 topics
  30. Population Dynamics14▲ 5.6×8 topics
  31. Critical Thinking Skills14▲ 7.8×2 topics
  32. Nursing Education14▲ 10×2 topics
  33. Habitat Selection12▲ 17×2 topics
  34. Higher-Order Thinking12▲ 16×1 topic
  35. Instructional Interventions12▲ 16×1 topic
  36. Vulnerability12▲ 5.4×7 topics
  37. Animal Movement12▲ 23×1 topic
  38. Occupancy Rates12▲ 23×1 topic
  39. Teacher Professional Development12▲ 7.2×5 topics
  40. Model Evaluation11▲ 8.7×2 topics

Which research topics does Bhutan publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are Technology-Enhanced Education Studies, Education and Critical Thinking Development, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.

Technology-Enhanced Educ…16Technology-Enhanced Education Studies: 16 fractional worksEducation and Critical T…12Education and Critical Thinking Development: 12 fractional worksWildlife Ecology and Conservation: 12 fractional worksRangeland Management and Livestock Ecology: 8 fractional worksSouth Asian Studies and …8South Asian Studies and Conflicts: 8 fractional worksSpecies Distribution and Climate Change: 8 fractional worksEthnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies: 7 fractional worksConservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management: 7 fractional worksPlant and animal studies: 6 fractional worksEcology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies: 6 fractional worksEntrepreneurship Studies and Influences: 6 fractional worksEducational Methods and Media Use: 5 fractional works
EducationEcologyManagement, Monitoring, Policy and LawPolitical Science and International Relations7 others

Area is fractional works in 2022-now; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to. Every tile is a topic page.

  1. 1 Technology-Enhanced Education Studies Education 16 works
  2. 2 Education and Critical Thinking Development Education 12 works
  3. 3 Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Ecology 12 works
  4. 4 Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 8 works
  5. 5 South Asian Studies and Conflicts Political Science and International Relations 8 works
  6. 6 Species Distribution and Climate Change Ecological Modeling 8 works
  7. 7 Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies Plant Science 7 works
  8. 8 Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management Global and Planetary Change 7 works
  9. 9 Plant and animal studies Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 6 works
  10. 10 Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies Nature and Landscape Conservation 6 works
  11. 11 Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences Management of Technology and Innovation 6 works
  12. 12 Educational Methods and Media Use Information Systems 5 works

Which universities in Bhutan lead research?

Royal University of Bhutan, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Centre for Bhutan Studies and GNH Research rank highest in Bhutan on research quality in 2022-now.

  1. 1Royal University of BhutanUniversity · Thimphu · #4,919 worldwide4.9% top 10% · 586 works
  2. 2Ministry of Agriculture and ForestsGovernment institution · Thimphu · #11,842 worldwide5.1% top 10% · 159 works
  3. 3Centre for Bhutan Studies and GNH ResearchUniversity · Thimphu · #14,252 worldwide4.6% top 10% · 103 works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Bhutan

Who are the top researchers in Bhutan?

Sonam Wangchuk, Karma Tempa and Rajnish Ratna rank highest among researchers based in Bhutan.

  1. 1 Sonam Wangchuk #879,489 worldwide 2.1k citations · 81 works
  2. 2 Karma Tempa #1,298,054 worldwide 366 citations · 27 works
  3. 3 Rajnish Ratna #1,299,859 worldwide 567 citations · 23 works
  4. 4 Pem Chuki #1,519,786 worldwide 503 citations · 21 works
  5. 5 Binay Thapa #1,532,348 worldwide 745 citations · 15 works
  6. 6 Tandin Dorji #1,544,428 worldwide 604 citations · 24 works
  7. 7 Jelle J.P. Wouters #1,568,997 worldwide 399 citations · 46 works
  8. 8 Tashi Samdup #1,622,838 worldwide 463 citations · 19 works
  9. 9 Norbu Wangdi #1,714,243 worldwide 233 citations · 26 works
  10. 10 Ngawang Chhogyel #1,743,822 worldwide 586 citations · 33 works
Top researchers in Bhutan

How open and international is Bhutan's research?

74% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 35% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available73.7%not open26.3%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors34.8%domestic only65.2%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 82% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 32% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 1.17× the expected open access and 1.29× the expected international share, which puts it #63 of 173 countries on openness.

How has Bhutan's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 32% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Bhutan as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0034% in 2024.

still counting0.0025%0.0050%0.0075%Bhutan0.0036% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Bhutan over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 5.4% of its 2.1k works since 1970 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting5%10%15%all institutions10.0% in 2025Bhutan5.7% in 20252020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 8.4% in 2014.

Which countries have research most like Bhutan's?

Cape Verde is Bhutan's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Bhutan's, with both strong in Environmental Science.

  1. 1 Cape VerdeBoth strong in Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Agricultural and Biological Sciences 0.88 Compare
  2. 2 TanzaniaBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, Social Sciences 0.87 Compare
  3. 3 MalawiBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, Social Sciences 0.87 Compare
  4. 4 GhanaBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Environmental Science 0.87 Compare
  5. 5 Sierra LeoneBoth strong in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Nursing 0.85 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

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Bhutan on Science Explorer

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Research fields in Bhutan

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