Nepal Flag

Nepal

Capital:
Kathmandu
Continent:
Asia
Largest Cities:
Kathmandu, Pokhara, Patan
Abbreviation:
NPL

Nepal is a country in Asia, known for Mount Everest and ancient temples. It has a population of 29.6 million, making it the 52nd largest country in the world. Its official language is Portuguese, and the capital is Kathmandu. Nepal has a developing economy with strong tourism sector.

29.6M
Total Population
52
Population Rank
206.61
Density (kmĀ²)
-33.0K 0.45%
Annual Population Growth

Population of Nepal

Nepal's population structure shows a somewhat lower male to female ratio of 0.92 to 1, with a median male age of 24.56 years old and a median female age of 27.32 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 19 and 20 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 74 and 73 year-old age groups.

Nepal Population

Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Nepal Population Clock

Nepal Population*
29,626,018
Births per Day
1,510
Deaths per Day
567
Emigrations per Day
998
Net Change per Day
55
2025 Population Change*
2,035

* As of 2/6/2025

1 birth

Every 57.2 seconds

1 death

Every 2.5 minutes

1 emigrant

Every 1.4 minutes

1 person

Every 26.2 minutes

Population by City

City
2025 Pop.
Kathmandu1,442,271
Pokhara200,000
Patan183,310
Biratnagar182,324
Birganj133,238
Dharan108,600
Bharatpur107,157

Nepal Overview

Nepal Demographics

Nepal has a host of ethnicities present. East Asian mixed people, as well as Indo-Aryans, live in the mountains and hilly regions of the country, while Tibetans inhabit the central and western part of Nepal. As a result, Nepal can boast of a multi-ethnic population that also houses a host of different cultures that are shared by its inhabitants.

The languages used in Nepal include Nepali (official) 44.6%, Maithali 11.7%, Bhojpuri 6%, Tharu 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.2%, Magar 3%, Bajjika 3%, Urdu 2.6%, Avadhi 1.9%, Limbu 1.3%, Gurung 1.2%, other 10.4%, and unspecified at 0.2%.

Nepal Religion, Economy and Politics

It also has many different religions present, most significantly Hinduism and Buddhism, but minorities of Muslims and Christians are present as well. The World Factbook gives us a breakdown of Hindu 81.3%, Buddhist 9%, Muslim 4.4%, Kirant 3.1%, Christian 1.4%, other 0.5%, and unspecified faiths 0.2% being practiced among the population from a 2011 estimation.

All of the above factors have also resulted in a lax growth of fundamental institutions such as basic education for everyone in the country. This has resulted in a meager literacy ratehttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/np.html (of those over 15 years of age) of only 63.49% in Nepal, of which 76.4% are males and 53.1% are females. Moreover, life expectancy in Nepal lies at 66.51 years. Specifically, male life expectancy is at 65.26 years, while female life expectancy is at 67.82 years.

Additional factors that influence quality of life can also be considered. This includes the low access to improved sanitation, only at 45.8% of the population. Access to clean drinking water is higher, at 91.6% of the population. In terms of health care, 5.8% of the GDP is spent on the health sector, resulting in a physician density of approximately .6 physicians per 1,000 residents and 3 hospital beds being available per 1,000 residents.

Nepal Population History

Growth rates were a bit out of control, coming to close to 3% in the latter half of the 20th century, but started to become more manageable around the turn of the century. Causes of the rampant growth have been thought to be a combination of poverty, illiteracy, early marriage, religious beliefs, and growing internal migration.