The species checklists for Bhutan published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) were originally collated for the publication ‘Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan 2017, A Preliminary Baseline’ (BSB 2017). This document was published in 2019 and is the first comprehensive overview of Bhutan's species richness, recording more than 11,000 species across all five kingdoms. Collation of biodiversity checklists has been limited in Bhutan. Thus, this paper and its associated data provide an overview of all species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria in the country that have been recorded in scientific publications. The checklists showcase 11,175 species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria. Research conducted into identifying species from the kingdoms Protista and Archaebacteria revealed zero records. These checklists include at least 33 species new to science and 566 species new to Bhutan, discovered between 2009 and 2017. Unidentified species are not taken into account in this publication.

Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan country nestled between India and China, is well-known for its rich biodiversity inhabiting variable landscapes across the country's 38,394 km 2 area. With 70.46% of its land covered in forest, a lowest elevation point of around 100 m above sea level (masl) in southern Bhutan, and the highest peak, Gangkhar Phuensum, rising to 7,570 masl, the country provides diverse habitats for a wide range of endemic, endangered, and native flora and fauna. However, documentation of these species of flora and fauna has been limited and unmethodical. Beginning in December 2016, the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) in Thimphu, Bhutan, has coordinated the collation of species checklists provided by a range of taxonomic experts from various institutions in Bhutan. Data was collected from numerous government agencies, colleges, individual researchers, NGOs, peer-reviewed journal articles, theses, books, institutional databases, and museum specimens until