Democracy and human development reinforce each other. Both require voice and participation. This National Human Development Report looks at the first decade of democracy in Bhutan, and its impact on national governance and, therefore, on human development. It studies Bhutan’s unique context, where democracy was initiated by the Bhutanese King in 2008 after 100 years of Monarchy, and considers the path ahead.

At a time when nations are striving to make progress on governance as an integral part of their overall pursuit of human development, Bhutan’s story of a peaceful shift from absolute Monarchy to parliamentary democracy is a powerful and important one.