Poverty and living standards in Samtse, Bhutan: official figures
21.9% of people in Samtse lived below the national poverty line in 2022, according to the Bhutan Living Standards Survey, 2nd highest of the 20 dzongkhags (Bhutan: 12.4%). The survey estimate has a standard error of 2.3 percentage points.
How much crime is there in Samtse?
The Royal Bhutan Police recorded 144 criminal incidents in Samtse in 2024, 23 per 10,000 residents, 10th highest of the 20 dzongkhags (Bhutan: 2,476 incidents, 32 per 10,000).
Source: Royal Bhutan Police, Planning and Development Division · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Samtse?
3 people were killed in road accidents in Samtse in 2024, out of 74 motor vehicle accidents reported to the police (Bhutan: 97 deaths in 1,118 accidents).
Source: Royal Bhutan Police, Planning and Development Division · saved copyHow many people are arrested in Samtse?
Police in Samtse arrested 305 people in 2024, 48 per 10,000 residents (Bhutan: 5,743, 74 per 10,000).
Source: Royal Bhutan Police, Planning and Development Division · saved copyMore figures
- The police recorded 3 fire incidents in Samtse in 2024 (Bhutan: 139). Source: Royal Bhutan Police, Planning and Development Division · saved copy
How Samtse compares with other dzongkhags
Population below the national poverty line (BLSS) (2022)
Samtse ranks 2 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population below the national poverty line (BLSS) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhemgang | 41.4% |
| 2 | Samtse | 21.9% |
| 3 | Trongsa | 21.7% |
| 4 | Trashigang | 20.6% |
| 5 | Samdrup Jongkhar | 20.1% |
| 6 | Tsirang | 19.5% |
| 7 | Pema Gatshel | 17.9% |
Criminal incidents per 10,000 people (2024)
Samtse ranks 10 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Criminal incidents per 10,000 people |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Punakha | 26 |
| 8 | Tsirang | 24 |
| 9 | Haa | 24 |
| 10 | Samtse | 23 |
| 11 | Trongsa | 23 |
| 12 | Samdrup Jongkhar | 19 |
| 13 | Bumthang | 18 |
More on Samtse: overview · Bhutan
Sources
- National Statistics Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan (with the World Bank): Poverty Mapping in Bhutan: Small Area Estimation, District and Town Level Results (2023), Table 4.1 survey estimates from the Bhutan Living Standards Survey 2022, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9241159c450d…)
- Royal Bhutan Police, Planning and Development Division: Statistical Yearbook 2024 (Table 3.1 criminal incidents, Table 6.1 fire incidents, Tables 7.3 and 7.7 motor vehicle accidents and deaths, by dzongkhag), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1f140360dcb9…)
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