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Bhutan was isolated from the outside world until the communist takeover of China in 1949 forced the country to stop doing business exclusively with Tibet.

Religion: Buddhist 72.04%, Hindu 23%, Muslim 4%, Traditional ethnic 0.50%, and Christian 0.46%.

Ideological Influence: Buddhist and some Hindu

Head of State: King Jigme Singye Wangchuk

Persecution: After 1965, the country stayed open for more than two decades, until Christianity began making headway. A new restrictive atmosphere has taken hold, and missions have been allowed to operate in humanitarian projects, but they cannot evangelize. Some ministries are being eliminated since leprosy, Bhutan’s greatest problem, has been nearly eradicated. All public worship and evangelism by non-Buddhists are illegal in Bhutan. When Bhutanese are discovered to have converted to Christianity, they are denied government benefits—including public education. Christian government workers have been fired from their jobs, and others have been expelled from country.

Missionary Opportunity: One of the world’s least evangelized nations, Bhutan now has a few legally permitted congregations. Only one church building exists, and it is located in southern Bhutan. There has been a steady growth of believers among the Bhutanese Nepalis since 1970. Indian believers along India’s border region are actively evangelizing and distributing literature among visitors from Bhutan. One of Bhutan’s greatest needs is a Bible in the Dzongkha language.

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Assist News Service- Michael Ireland Washington D.C./Bhutan -- Two Christians who had been imprisoned in Bhutan on charges of proselytism have been released. The Washington D.C. based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has been told by Christians inside the country on Saturday, July 29, that the two men had been released and reunited with their families. “Benjamin” (Budhu Mani Dungana) and “John” (Purna Bahadhur Tamang) were arrested on January 7, 2006, in the small town of Paro after sharing the gospel with a non-Christian family. A media release says that ICC was informed of their situation earlier in the year but was asked to keep quiet while Christians inside the country exhausted all avenues of appeal. After ICC heard that their prison sentences had been decided, ICC sent out a press release and worked behind the scenes in conjunction with The Jubilee Campaign to put pressure on the government of Bhutan to free these men. Jeremy Sewall, ICC’s Regional Policy Analyst for South Asia, stated, “We wish to thank everyone who prayed for these men and contacted government officials to ask for their release. This is incredibly good news, but please continue to pray for Benjamin and John as they rebuild their lives after being in prison for seven months.” In addition, he added, “Please keep the kingdom of Bhutan in your prayers, as government officials there continue to struggle with wanting to allow more freedom but also fearing that they will lose their identity to western culture. Pray that they will find that religious freedom is a universal right and not a Western right.”