Urban population (% of total population) in Nepal
Nepal: Urban population (% of total population) was 67.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
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 1.3% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nepal peaked at 67.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 66.1%, in 2021.
Nepal ranks 99th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total 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% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 67.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 67.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 39.1%, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 14.93 million kg (2050)
- 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)
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 66.1% in 2021.
- How does Nepal rank for urban population?
- Nepal ranks 99th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- 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
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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.