Civil registration in Bhutan is the responsibility of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs' Department of Civil Registration and Census (DCRC). District-specific Civil Registration and Census Offices were institutionalized under 20 District Administration to manage the flow of the registration process for vital events. The DCRC and the Department of Immigration are responsible for registering Bhutanese citizens and Special Resident Permit holders, as well as foreign nationals and non-Bhutanese individuals, respectively.
Starting in mid-2017, Bhutan established the Civil Registration System for online reporting births and deaths at registration points in all 20 districts (dzongkhags), most of its 205 sub-districts (dungkhags), as well as it 4 major municipalities (thromdes). Unique personal identification numbers are assigned to the completed registration of each new birth. The unique PINs are then printed on Citizenship Identity Cards which are made available for citizens upon reaching the age of 15.
Birth registration is fee and Bhutanese citizenship laws make registration compulsory within one year of the occurrence. Deaths occurring in Bhutanese medical facilities use a standard medical cause of death form and verbal autopsy is used for deaths outside of medical facilities, but its usage is not compliant with international standards.
No statistical data is produced from the registration systems, instead, the National Statistics Bureau, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, produces vital statistics reports compiled from survey, census and administrative data. Primary sources of vital statistics in Bhutan include National Health Surveys, Bhutan Multiple Cluster Survey (2010), Population and Housing Censuses, and relevant administrative data as reported to the Civil Registration and Census Offices by Bhutanese health facilities.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Sonam Wangdi, Sr. Planning Officer, Health Management & Information System Unit, Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Health
Bhutan
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events
Goal 1 Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 95 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered
1.B
By 2024, at least 97 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered
1.C
By 2024, at least 99 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered
1.D
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least 85 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights
Goal 2 Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated
Goal 3 Targets:
3.A
By 2020 annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources
3.B
By 2022 annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least 85 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least 70 per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By 2024 an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 95 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered
BASELINE
2017
85%
MIDTERM
2018
88%
TARGET
2024
95%
1.B
By 2024, at least 97 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered
Note: These figures are from an administrative source, and not from surveys like for most countries.
baseline
2014
82.7%
MIDTERM
2018
95.6%
TARGET
2024
97%
1.C
By 2024, at least 99 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered
baseline
2014
98%
MIDTERM
2018
99%
TARGET
2024
99%
1.D
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
baseline
2017
64%
MIDTERM
2018
75%
TARGET
2024
90%
1.E
By 2024, at least 85 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
TARGET
2024
85%
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
TARGET
2024
100%
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
3.A
By 2020 annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources
TARGET
2020
3.B
By 2022 annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
2022
3.C
By 2024, at least 85 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
baseline
2014
11.1%
TARGET
2024
85%
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to … per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least 70 per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
MIDTERM
No
TARGET
2024
Yes
3.F
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
TARGET
2022
3.G
By 2022, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
TARGET
2022
3.H
By 2024 an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.