Urban population in Nepal
Nepal: Urban population was 19.84 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Nepal, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Nepal recorded 19.84 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nepal peaked at 19.84 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 355,786, in 1960.
That places Nepal 43rd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 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 | 411,190 | 355,786 | 470,437 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.07 million | 488,150 | 2.04 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.98 million | 2.27 million | 3.66 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.30 million | 3.86 million | 7.12 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.63 million | 7.63 million | 16.27 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.93 million | 16.96 million | 18.75 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.62 million | 19.15 million | 19.84 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More climate change data for Nepal
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 29.62 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Urban population 67.0% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 5.6% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 9.5 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 4.8% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 23.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 23.6% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.8 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Nepal?
- Urban population in Nepal was 19.84 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 19.84 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 355,786 in 1960.
- How does Nepal rank for urban population?
- Nepal ranks 43rd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.