Nepal Demographics

Population of Nepal (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Nepal

Nepal Population
29,618,118
see live
Yearly Change
−0.11%
Global Share
0.36%
Global Rank
52

Median Age

The median age in Nepal is 25.3 years (2025).

Fertility in Nepal

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.9
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Nepal

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
70.9
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
72.4
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
69.3
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Nepal


Infant Mortality
19.6
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
23.5
(per 1,000 live births)


Nepal Urban Population

Currently, 24.5% of the population of Nepal is urban (7,265,589 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Nepal is 207 people per Km2 (535 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 143,350 Km2 (55,348 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Nepal

# City Population
1 Kathmandu 1,442,271
2 Bharatpur 369,377
3 Patan 299,283
4 Birganj 268,273
5 Biratnagar 244,750
6 Dhangadhi 204,788
7 Pokhara 200,000
8 Hetauda 195,951
9 Dharan 173,096
10 Nepalgunj 166,258
11 Madhyapur Thimi 119,955
12 Lahan 102,955
13 Janakpur 93,767
14 Butwal 91,733
15 Bhimdatta 88,381
16 Triyuga 71,405
17 Inaruwa 70,093
18 Rajbiraj 69,803
19 Banepa 67,629
20 Siddharthanagar 63,367
21 Gulariya 53,107
22 Itahari 47,984
23 Panauti 46,595
24 Tikapur 44,758
25 Kirtipur 44,632
26 Tulsipur 39,058
27 Birendranagar 31,381
28 Panauti 27,602
29 Gaur 27,325
30 Siraha 24,657

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.