Rural population growth in Nepal
Nepal: Rural population growth was -0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Nepal, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded -0.8% for rural population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and down 44.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Nepal peaked at 2.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, -7.2%, in 2007.
Nepal ranks 158th of 207 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | -0.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.4% | -7.2% | -0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.2% | -4.9% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | -0.8% | 1.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
- Rural population 33.0% (2025)
- Rural population 9.77 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 9.81 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 3.33 million hectares (2023)
- Cereal yield 3,344 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal production 11.15 million metric tons (2023)
- Fertilizer consumption 67.84 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Nepal?
- Rural population growth in Nepal was -0.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was -7.2% in 2007.
- How does Nepal rank for rural population growth?
- Nepal ranks 158th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.2%. 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 Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.