TENZIN LHAKI Thimphu
Bhutan’s civil service workforce reached a total of 30,159 employees as of 31 December 2025, according to the Civil Service Statistics Report 2025 released by the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC).
The report presents a comprehensive statistical overview of the civil service, detailing workforce size, employment categories, demographic composition, occupational distribution, recruitment, promotions, separations, and human resource development.
As of the end of 2025, the total civil service workforce comprised 24,689 regular civil servants and 5,470 contract employees.
Regular civil servants accounted for 81.86 percent of the total workforce, while contract employees made up the remaining 18.14 percent.
The report notes that the size of the civil service has grown steadily over time, recording an increase of 11.76 percent compared to its size in 2015. On a year-on-year basis, the total workforce increased by 1.45 percent from 2024 to 2025.
The distribution of civil servants across administrative levels shows a significant concentration at the local government level. Over the past five years, an average of 56.94 percent of civil servants were employed under Dzongkhag and Thromde administrations.
In relation to the national population, civil servants constituted 3.85 percent of Bhutan’s total population as of December 2025.
The ratio of civil servants to the general population was recorded at 1:24, reflecting the scale of the public sector workforce relative to the country’s population size.
Gender representation within the civil service showed a continued increase in female participation. The report recorded 12,636 female civil servants in 2025, accounting for 41.90 percent of the total workforce.
Female representation was highest in the Education and Training Services sector, where 5,142 women were employed. This figure accounted for 16.79 percent of the total civil service workforce and 46.9 percent of employees within the education sector.
The Medical and Health Services sector employed 2,189 female civil servants, while 1,422 women were employed in the Administration and Support Services sector.
Female participation across other sectors varied according to occupational and service categories.
The age profile of the civil service indicated a relatively young workforce. Approximately 70.9 percent of civil servants were below the age of 42, while 28.49 percent were under the age of 30.
The median age of civil servants remained at 36 years in 2025. The largest age group was the 30 to 34-year category, which included 5,627 civil servants and represented 18.7 percent of the workforce.
This was followed by the 35 to 39-year age group, comprising 5,427 civil servants or 17.99 percent of the total workforce.
The executive and specialist category comprised 338 civil servants, accounting for 1.12 percent of the workforce. The professional and management category remained the largest, with 14,514 civil servants representing 48.1 percent of the total.
The supervisory and support category included 12,905 civil servants, making up 42.8 percent of the workforce, while the operational category accounted for 2,402 civil servants or 8 percent.
The civil service was further organised into 19 major occupational groups. The education and training Services sector continued to be the largest employer, with 10,963 civil servants representing 36.35 percent of the total workforce.
The medical and health services sector employed 4,378 civil servants, accounting for 14.51 percent, while the administration and support Services sector employed 4,069 civil servants or 13.49 percent of the workforce.
The arts, culture and literary services group had the smallest representation, with 72 civil servants, accounting for 0.23 percent of the total.
Recruitment activity during 2025 saw 2,318 new entrants into the civil service between January and December. The education and training services sector recorded the highest number of recruits, with 750 new employees.
The medical and health services sector recruited 529 individuals, while the administration and support services sector recruited 195. Recruitment in other sectors varied depending on approved staffing requirements and service needs.
Meanwhile, the civil service recorded 1,948 separations during the year. These included voluntary resignations, contract completions, superannuation’s, compulsory retirements, administrative discipline terminations, withdrawals or cancellations of appointments, and deaths.
The largest number of separations was due to voluntary resignations, totalling 1,180 cases. Contract completions accounted for 359 separations, while 143 civil servants superannuated during the year.
The report also recorded 44 deaths, 32 terminations due to administrative discipline, 22 compulsory retirements, and 24 cases of appointment withdrawal or cancellation.
Human resource development remained a key focus area in 2025. The report recorded 338 civil servants participating in long-term training programmes during the year, with 262 enrolled in Master’s degree programmes.
In addition to long-term training, the RCSC administered 1,869 short-term training programmes aimed at enhancing skills and competencies across the civil service.
The report also noted that 133 pre-service undergraduate scholarships were administered in 2025, supporting the development of future human resources for the civil service.
As of 31 December 2025, a total of 11 civil servants were on secondment. Extraordinary leave was availed by 377 civil servants during the year.
The highest number of civil servants on extraordinary leave was recorded at the P3 position level, with 65 employees, followed by the P2 position level, which recorded 64 employees on extraordinary leave.
Overall, the Civil Service Statistics Report 2025 presents a detailed statistical account of Bhutan’s civil service as of the end of the year.
