July 13, 2026
THIMPHU – For a 39-year-old mother of two sons, the dream of a large family did not fade for lack of wanting. It ended because raising children in Bhutan has become increasingly unaffordable.
Caught between earning a living and caring for her family, she says the absence of support for working mothers has turned the prospect of a third child into an impossible choice.
Her story reflects a growing reality for many Bhutanese couples who are choosing to stop at one or two children. While the desire for larger families remains, rising living costs, the challenge of balancing work and childcare, housing constraints, and limited support for working parents are increasingly shaping reproductive decisions, contributing to Bhutan’s steadily declining birth rate.
A rapid demographic shift
Bhutan’s fertility transition has been remarkably swift. In just over two decades, the total fertility rate dropped from 5.6 children per woman in 1994 to 1.7 in 2017, pushing the country well below the replacement level of about 2.1 children per woman.
Although the National Health Survey 2023 reported a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.0, the estimate is not used for long-term trend analysis because it was derived using a different methodology from the census series. Meanwhile, registered births have continued to decline, falling from 11,001 in 2015 to a provisional 7,230 in 2025.
According to the 2025 Birth and Civil Registration System (BCRS), Bhutan has 223,180 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Of these, 108,511 women, or nearly 49 percent, have no registered children, while 42,005 have two children and 32,548 have one child. Another 26,447 women have three children, compared with 9,713 who have four children and 3,956 with five or more children.
The data indicate that childbearing is concentrated among women aged 25 to 39, with two-child families being the most common across these age groups. Among women nearing the end of their reproductive years, one-, two-, and three-child families continue to outnumber larger families, suggesting a sustained shift away from the large households that were once common in Bhutan.
The figures also show that nearly nine out of 10 women aged 20 to 24 have no registered children, while almost all women aged 15 to 19 remain childless. However, as many women in these age groups are still in the early stages of their reproductive years, the data do not imply permanent childlessness.
The declining birth rate has heightened concerns about Bhutan’s changing demographic structure. As fewer children are born each year and life expectancy rises, the proportion of elderly people is steadily increasing.
The United Nations Bhutan’s “Annual Horizon Scan 2025” warns that this demographic shift, combined with persistently low fertility, will result in a shrinking workforce and a growing dependency ratio, placing increasing pressure on healthcare, social protection and the economy.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, “Healthy Ageing Facts and Figures: Bhutan”, around 76,000 Bhutanese, about one in every 10 people, are aged 60 years and above, a figure projected to rise to 24 percent of the population by 2050.
Careers, delayed marriage and a shrinking window
A former lecturer and mother of a daughter said that as more women pursue higher education and focus on their careers, many are delaying marriage and parenthood, leaving them with a shorter window for childbearing.
She said that one of the many challenges facing couples is work-life balance. Having children and working at the same time is manageable but difficult if both parents are employed full time, and not having adequate resources like childcare, expensive childcare, and inadequate parental leave for both parents only make it harder to have a larger family.
“Also, only having a child or two is pragmatic in today’s world where living expenses are through the roof. I want to be able to raise my daughter without any financial hurdles and be able to provide more time and resources to her only,” she added.
A mother of two sons said that many women are aware that pregnancy, childbirth, and much of the responsibility of raising children ultimately fall on them, even when they have supportive partners.
“There’s nothing wrong with that because, by nature, women tend to be more nurturing,” she said. “But being responsible for another human being is a huge commitment, and many young women today don’t want to be tied down by that responsibility.”
She said the circumstances were different during her parents’ generation. “Our father was the sole breadwinner, while our mother stayed home to raise the children and run the household, and that arrangement worked,” she said. “Today it’s different. If both husband and wife don’t work, it’s difficult to make ends meet. The cost of living has risen so sharply – everything from groceries to utility bills is expensive.”
Like her, many working mothers say the realities of balancing employment and parenthood have made having more than one child increasingly difficult. The limited institutional support for working parents, coupled with rising childcare costs, has left many couples feeling they have little choice but to keep their families small.
Several mothers said hiring a full-time babysitter or caregiver is beyond the reach of many households, adding another financial burden to families already struggling with rising living expenses. They also pointed to the lack of family-friendly workplaces, saying most offices do not have childcare facilities or dedicated spaces where parents can safely bring their babies during working hours.
Many said that once maternity leave ends, returning to work becomes a major challenge.
A 30-year-old father said without affordable childcare, flexible working arrangements, or support from extended family, they are often forced to juggle demanding jobs with the responsibilities of caring for young children.
The rising cost of living
In urban centres, where both parents work, monthly rent consumes a substantial share of household income, leaving less for childcare, education, and other essentials. A modest one- or two-bedroom apartment can cost anywhere from Nu 8,000 to over Nu 12,000 a month, depending on the location and size of the property.
Together, these experiences suggest that Bhutan’s declining fertility is driven less by a lack of desire for children than by the realities of raising them. Many couples say they still hope for larger families, but financial pressures, demanding work schedules, housing costs and limited childcare support often leave them feeling that one or two children are all they can realistically afford.
The National Health Survey 2023 found that 25 percent of Bhutanese women consider three children their ideal family size, yet third births continue to fall.
The government has introduced the Third Child Plus Programme (TCPP), offering Nu 10,000 a month for every third and subsequent child until the age of three. The initiative marks Bhutan’s most direct policy intervention yet to address the country’s steadily declining birth rate. By easing some of the financial burden of raising larger families, the programme aims to encourage couples to have more children.
Many young couples Kuensel interviewed said that while financial incentives are welcome, their decisions about having children are shaped far more by affordable housing, reliable childcare, family-friendly workplaces, and the ability to balance careers with parenthood. Several said that unless these structural challenges are addressed, a monthly cash incentive alone is unlikely to persuade families to have a third child.
However, with many families citing high living costs, limited childcare support, housing pressures, and the challenge of balancing work and family life as reasons for stopping at one or two children, an important question remains, if a cash incentive alone be enough to reverse decades of declining fertility?
While the BCRS data provide a snapshot of the number of children women currently have, they do not explain why couples are choosing smaller families or whether younger women will go on to have more children. Nevertheless, the figures reinforce Bhutan’s broader demographic transition, where one- and two-child families have become the dominant family size.