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Nepal

Population

29,642,631

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
52nd
Share of world
0.36%
Annual change
+11,2920.11%

Population of Nepal

10M20M30M40M50M60M70M95% prediction intervalProjected peak202629.6M2050 projection34.6M↑ 17% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 29,642,631. 2050 projection: 34,642,027.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Nepal. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202629,629,4100.11%52
202529,618,1180.45%52
202028,966,5741.95%49
201928,414,0641.19%50
201828,079,6890.24%50
201728,011,2580.20%50
201527,823,6290.35%49
201027,341,9520.77%45
200526,309,4581.40%43
200024,546,5091.99%40

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Kathmandu is home to 799,560 people, 2.70% of Nepal's population.

City population700K300K100K
Kathmandu 799.6KPokhara 571.9KBharatpur 420.2KLalitpur 294.7KBirgunj 287.7KBiratnagar 257.7KItahari 231.0KDhangadhi 229.0KButwal 227.9KGhorahi 225.5K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Kathmandu799.6K2.70%
2Pokhara571.9K1.93%
3Bharatpur420.2K1.42%
4Lalitpur294.7K0.99%
5Birgunj287.7K0.97%
6Biratnagar257.7K0.87%
7Itahari231.0K0.78%
8Dhangadhi229.0K0.77%
9Butwal227.9K0.77%
10Ghorahi225.5K0.76%

Nepal by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Nepal is home to an estimated 29,642,631 people, the 52nd largest population in the world.
Daily change
Nepal has a net population change of approximately 117 people per day, driven by 1,484 births, 568 deaths, and net emigration of 799 people.
Share of world
Nepal makes up 0.36% of the world's population and 0.59% of Asia's.
Density
206.7 people per km² of land (535.3 per mi²), ranking 74th among countries and territories.
Urban living
67% of people live in urban areas.

Nepal Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 20100+ years, female: 5795–99 years, male: 45595–99 years, female: 1,11390–94 years, male: 5,07290–94 years, female: 9,38685–89 years, male: 27,14185–89 years, female: 40,14180–84 years, male: 82,89780–84 years, female: 110,22175–79 years, male: 169,26075–79 years, female: 211,92070–74 years, male: 264,99570–74 years, female: 312,86865–69 years, male: 361,04665–69 years, female: 401,35060–64 years, male: 437,57260–64 years, female: 493,74255–59 years, male: 528,14255–59 years, female: 609,88250–54 years, male: 628,25250–54 years, female: 732,38445–49 years, male: 699,17445–49 years, female: 858,44040–44 years, male: 776,24040–44 years, female: 1,019,00535–39 years, male: 845,85035–39 years, female: 1,143,00730–34 years, male: 1,028,32630–34 years, female: 1,305,07925–29 years, male: 1,211,37825–29 years, female: 1,421,15620–24 years, male: 1,377,26720–24 years, female: 1,456,19715–19 years, male: 1,449,93915–19 years, female: 1,412,65510–14 years, male: 1,451,98510–14 years, female: 1,361,8835–9 years, male: 1,391,0035–9 years, female: 1,320,8840–4 years, male: 1,354,5590–4 years, female: 1,317,470100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4500K500K1M1M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

26.7 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

71.2 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

47.56%

Female

52.44%

Life expectancy 69.6Life expectancy 72.7

Ethnicity

19%

Other

  • Other19%
  • Chhettri16.6%
  • Brahman-Hill12.2%
  • Magar7.1%
  • Tharu6.6%
  • Tamang5.8%
  • Newar5%
  • Kami4.8%
  • Muslim4.4%
  • Yadav4%
  • Rai2.3%
  • Gurung2%
  • Damai/Dholii1.8%
  • Thakuri1.6%
  • Limbu1.5%
  • Sarki1.4%
  • Teli1.4%
  • Chamar/Harijan/Ram1.3%
  • Koiri/Kushwaha1.2%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2011 est.

Religion

81.3%

Hindu, the largest religion

  • Hindu81.3%
  • Buddhist9%
  • Muslim4.4%
  • Kirant3.1%
  • Christian1.4%
  • Other0.5%
  • Unspecified0.2%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2011 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Nepal United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. National Statistics Office