Bhutan

MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

The youth unemployment rate has increased from 2.6% in 1998 to 12.9% in 2009. According to the National Labor Force Surveys (NLFS) the unemployment situation in Bhutan affects youth disproportionately and that it is essentially a youth issue. Most of the unemployed are young school leavers and efforts are being initiated with a focus on skills development of youth through vocational education. As rate of youth unemployment is sifnificantly increasing, there is an extremely high policy priority and supportive environment to tackle the issue of providing gainful employment for youth.

Over the last decade, Bhutan's ICT sector has witnessed impressive technological changes and rapid growth. The number of telephone lines in service has increased from 4052 in 1990 to 35420 in 2007. Tele-density has grown from less than one telephone line per 100 persons in 1990 to 15.6 in 2005. Cellular mobile services introduced in November 2003 has similarly witnessed an enormous growth in the number of users rising from less than 5,000 at the end of 2003 to 19,000 by the end of 2004.

The computer density of the country is 2.3 users for every 100 persons in 2005. Internet usage has also increased and in 2005 there were 1.2 internet users for every 100 persons. The number of dial-up services has tripled from 1,013 in 2001 to 2,989 in 2004 and internet cafes have proliferated, the number of internet users would have increased vastly. Registered IT businesses too, excluding internet cafes, have doubled from around 16 firms in 2000 to 33 in 2008.