𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞

…𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔

By Yeshi Dolma

Bhutan’s population is aging rapidly. By 2040, the elderly are expected to make up 14 percent of the population. Yet, pensions cover only a fraction of workers: eight percent of civil servants and state enterprise employees. For the rest, old age often means dependence on family, charity, or Kidu.

Consider 68-year-old Kaka, a retired farmer in Wangdue Phodrang. He has no savings after a lifetime of labour in the fields, no pension, and no land to sell. Today, he survives entirely on remittances from his son in Thimphu, who is struggling to support his own young family amid rising living costs. “I have worked all my life, from sunrise to sunset in the fields, through every season, in the rain and in the cold. But now I have nothing to fall back on, nothing to show for those years except my aching body. It feels as if the country has forgotten people like me,” he says. His story reflects that of many elderly Bhutanese who face years of work without the security or dignity of old age.

Even those who receive pensions face challenges. Benefits are calculated on a static basic pay figure and do not account for salary increases. When the government raised wages by 50 percent in 2023, pensioners saw no change. “It’s like being punished for retiring,” says a former teacher now living on Nu. 8,000 a month. “We gave our youth, our energy, and our health to this country, but the system makes you feel like the day you retire is the day you stop mattering.”

A recent report, the Social Protection Situational Analysis and Landscaping Assessment, co-funded by the European Union and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provides the first comprehensive mapping of Bhutan’s social protection system. The assessment shows that despite policies guided by Gross National Happiness, the social safety net is fragile and may not withstand future pressures.

Bhutan’s journey from a least-developed country to a lower-middle-income nation in 2023 has been a story of resilience. Yet the report warns that economic progress has not been matched by social safeguards. Conducted between August and November 2024, the analysis examined systems ranging from the centuries-old Kidu welfare to new insurance schemes, assessing their ability to address an aging population, climate risks, and urban poverty.

As of 2024, only eight percent of the population is covered by social insurance, leaving 92 percent vulnerable. Beyond Kidu, there are no formal programmes targeting rural elderly, informal workers, persons with disabilities, or the urban poor. UNICEF emphasizes that social protection is a fundamental right, reflected in the Constitution and international commitments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet these rights have not translated into security for those who need it most.

Accessing free services can also be costly. In Samtse district, 38-year-old Sherab Lhamo spends Nu. 20,000 to travel 200 kilometers to Thimphu for her child’s asthma treatment. “The medicine was free, but the bus fare pushed us into debt. Every trip feels like we have to choose between my child’s health and keeping our household afloat, and no parent should ever have to make that choice,” she says.

Even programmes designed to support children leave gaps. The National School Feeding Programme, which serves 88,784 students daily, does not reach the urban poor. In Thimphu’s informal settlements, 45-year-old daily wage worker Pema Dorji struggles to provide nutritious meals for his family. “Even a single free meal at school could ease the pressure. Sometimes we have to choose between paying the electricity bill and buying fresh vegetables for the children,” he says.

The needs of persons with disabilities are also largely unmet. With 6.18 percent of the population living with disabilities, a 220 percent increase since 2017, support is limited. Early intervention programmes are at capacity, with Ability Bhutan Society reporting 200 children on waiting lists. Adults with disabilities face limited employment options. Only 31.7 percent are employed, often in low-paying informal roles. Without a disability identification card, families are excluded from benefits and basic public accommodations. “I can not even get a priority seat on the bus for my child. Without that card, people look at me like I am lying or exaggerating. I am constantly having to explain his condition to strangers, and it’s exhausting. Sometimes I just give up and let him stand, even when I know it’s hurting him. It’s like we are invisible to the system and to society,” says Shacha Wangmo.

Youth unemployment is also a concern, standing at 19 percent, with women more affected than men. Many graduates are underemployed because of mismatches between education and job market demand. Sonam, 24, has a hospitality degree but works in a grocery store after months of unsuccessful applications. “The jobs are in hotel and service sectors. My degree feels useless. I studied hard, my family sacrificed a lot to put me through school, and now I feel like I have let them down. There’s no clear path for people like me,” she says.

The report provides 59 recommendations, including a unified National Social Protection Policy, expanded pension coverage for informal workers, and systems that can respond to climate and economic shocks. Without a dedicated budget in the 13th Five-Year Plan, these remain aspirations. An official at the Ministry of Finance notes, “Bhutan excels at drafting policies but falters in execution. We can write the most beautiful plans, but if they stay in a drawer and never reach the people, they mean nothing. Action is the bridge between promises and change.”

The assessment is more than a policy document. For elders like Kaka, urban poor families in Thimphu, and children with disabilities awaiting recognition, the stakes are real. “We are a small country. If we can not take care of our own, what does that say about us? We pride ourselves on compassion and community, but compassion has to be more than words- it has to be something you can feel in your daily life,” Kaka says.
Until these policies are effectively implemented, Bhutan’s social protection system will remain fragile, leaving many vulnerable despite the country’s development achievements.