Urban population in Nepal
Nepal: Urban population was 67.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Nepal, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Nepal is 67.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nepal peaked at 67.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1960.
Nepal ranks 99th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.5% | — |
| 1961 | 3.6% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 3.6% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 3.7% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 3.8% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 3.8% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 3.8% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 3.9% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 4.0% | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 4.3% | +8.4% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | +17.5% |
| 1974 | 6.2% | +21.4% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | +21.5% |
| 1976 | 9.0% | +19.7% |
| 1977 | 10.5% | +17.1% |
| 1978 | 12.0% | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 13.4% | +11.5% |
| 1980 | 14.6% | +8.7% |
| 1981 | 15.5% | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 16.1% | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 16.6% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 17.5% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 17.9% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 18.3% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 18.7% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 19.2% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 19.8% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 20.4% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 22.0% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 24.1% | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 25.3% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 26.6% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 28.0% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 29.5% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 31.1% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 32.8% | +5.5% |
| 2002 | 35.0% | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 38.0% | +8.6% |
| 2004 | 41.6% | +9.4% |
| 2005 | 45.5% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 49.5% | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 53.4% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 56.9% | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 59.9% | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 62.0% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 63.1% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 63.7% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 64.1% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 65.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 65.8% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 66.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 66.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 66.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 66.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 66.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 66.8% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 67.0% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.6% | 3.9% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.2% | 14.6% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.0% | 19.8% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.4% | 31.1% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.5% | 62.0% | 66.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.5% | 66.1% | 67.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More climate change data for Nepal
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,890 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 19,588 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14.68 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 699.59 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,853 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,263 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,590 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.76 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 163.92 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Nepal?
- Urban population in Nepal was 67.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 67.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1960.
- How does Nepal rank for urban population?
- Nepal ranks 99th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.