As the world marks International Criminal Justice Day today, Bhutan’s crime statistics reflect a story of progress. An analysis of police yearbooks from the past eight years shows an overall decline in crime across the country. While there have been occasional fluctuations, the general trends show a decline.
Bhutan’s criminal incident landscape saw notable fluctuations in the last eight years.
Between 2017 and 2018, Bhutan’s criminal incidents rose slightly from 4,081 to 4,310, partly due to better reporting and crime prevention measures like CCTV and community awareness.
From 2019 to 2021, cases dropped sharply, falling to just over 2,800 in 2021, mainly due to COVID-19 restrictions and stronger policing.
In 2022, as normal life resumed, crime cases rose again to 3,502. But by 2023, they fell to 2,614 and dropped further to 2,476 in 2024, the lowest in years.
The overall trend shows that Bhutan’s crime landscape has been strongly influenced by events like the pandemic and internal policy changes, such as changes in how cases are recorded, especially for substance abuse.
The recent drop in crime is partly due to changes in how cases are defined and reported. However, the police yearbooks highlight the need for continuous monitoring and deeper analysis to better understand the real causes and improve crime prevention in the future.
The crime rate, measured by the number of cases per 10,000 people, also followed these changes.
In 2017, the rate was 56.12, peaking at nearly 59 in 2018. It dropped to 41 in 2020 and 37 in 2021. As restrictions eased, it rose to 46 in 2022 but fell again to 34 in 2023 and down to 32 in 2024, the lowest in five years.
Police yearbooks show that Bhutan’s most common crimes have remained mostly the same: battery, larceny, burglary, drug trafficking, and fraud. Since 2019, battery has been the most reported crime each year.
As Bhutan marks International Criminal Justice Day, crime data shows progress amid changing policies and global challenges. Police say ongoing vigilance, better data, and community efforts are vital to make Bhutan even safer.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Sonam Pem
