The majority of the passports issued in the last nine years were to people in the working age group. This is according to the figures shared by the Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister in the National Assembly today. The minister was responding to Chummig_Ura’s Member of Parliament Karma Wangchuk who asked the government to present the record of how many Bhutanese youth have left for foreign countries.
As per the data shared by the Minister, more than 42,800 Bhutanese living abroad have registered with the Ministry.
Of 112 countries, the highest number was recorded in Australia with around 17,000 Bhutanese. It was followed by India with around 13,800 and around 4,000 in Kuwait.
“Our ministry has created an app which allows the registration of Bhutanese living abroad through which they can also avail themselves of help when needed. This app will further aid in the accurate registration of Bhutanese living abroad,” said Dr Tandi Dorji, Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister.
The minister added that from 2014 to 2023, the ministry issued passports to around 80,000 people.
The Minister highlighted that there was a rise in the number of passports issued. 28,000 passports were issued last year and 32,000 were issued this year.
As per the record, most of the passports issued are to people under the age of 30 with 44,000 individuals and 36,000 Bhutanese between the age of 31 and 40.
The minister expressed concern over thousands of professionals with many years of experience leaving the country to work overseas. However, he said as for the youth, it is an opportunity to gain skills and contribute to nation-building in the future.
Tshering Deki
