Nepal Population Clock

Nepal has an estimated population of about 29.6 million, which makes it the 52nd most populous of the 115 countries tracked here.

Its population is slowly shrinking, at -0.11% a year.

The capital is Kathmandu.

The counter below is a live estimate interpolated from the World Bank's latest annual figures — not a real-time measurement. It links to its source, base year and method via the next to it.

Nepal population right now
Estimated, interpolated from the annual growth rate

Statistics

#52
World rank by population
-0.11%
Annual growth rate
1,538
Births per day
565
Deaths per day

Population trend

27.5M28M28.5M29M29.5M30M 20162018202020222025

Population 2016–2025 (World Bank)

How Nepal's population is changing

Nepal records about 1,538 births and 565 deaths a day. That is a natural increase of roughly 973 people per day, or about 355,388 a year before migration is counted.

Net migration runs at about 364,699 over the reported period, with more people leaving than arriving. That is equivalent to about 103% of its natural change.

Over the 9 years from 2016 to 2025, the population rose from 28.0 million to 29.6 million — a gain of 1.66 million, or 5.9%.

Where people live in Nepal

With about 207 people per square kilometre, Nepal is densely populated, roughly 3.3× the world average of 62. That ranks 29th of the 115 countries here. Its closest comparisons on density are Italy and North Korea.

Nepal covers about 143,350 km² of land, which is what turns a population of 29.6 million into that density figure.

About 67.0% of people live in urban areas, making Nepal majority urban, above the world average of 57.8%. That works out to roughly 19.8 million town and city dwellers and 9.77 million living rurally.

Age, fertility and life expectancy in Nepal

Nepal has a broadly balanced age structure: about 28.1% are under 15 and 6.6% are 65 or older. Children outnumber over-65s by roughly 4.2 to one.

The total fertility rate is about 1.96 births per woman, below the ~2.1 replacement level, so without net immigration the population would eventually decline. The world figure is about 2.19.

Life expectancy at birth is about 70.6 years, roughly 2.8 years below the global average of 73.5.

Nepal at a glance

Every figure is World Bank open data; the year column is that indicator's own most recent reporting year.
IndicatorValueYear
Population 29.6 million 2025
World rank by population #52 2025
Annual growth rate -0.11% 2025
Population density 207 /km² 2023
Land area 143,350 km² 2023
Urban population 67.0% 2025
Life expectancy at birth 70.6 years 2024
Fertility rate 1.96 births per woman 2024
Population under 15 28.1% 2025
Population 65 and over 6.6% 2025
Net migration -364,699 2025
Births per day 1,538 2025
Deaths per day 565 2025

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Nepal?
Nepal has an estimated population of about 29.6 million, based on the World Bank's 2025 figure carried forward at its -0.11% annual growth rate. That makes Nepal the 52nd most populous of the countries tracked here. Those people occupy about 143,350 km² of land, at roughly 207 people per square kilometre. The counter at the top of this page animates that estimate second by second; it is an interpolation from the published growth rate, not a live census.
Is Nepal's population growing or shrinking?
Nepal's population is shrinking slowly, at about -0.11% a year. Births still outnumber deaths, and net migration subtracts from it. Across the 9 years from 2016 to 2025, the recorded count moved from 28.0 million to 29.6 million. In absolute terms that rate takes roughly 32,918 people a year off a base of 29.6 million.
How densely populated is Nepal?
Nepal has about 207 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated against a world average near 62. That is a population of 29.6 million spread across roughly 143,350 km² of land. On density Nepal ranks 29th of the 115 countries covered here. Density is simply population divided by land area. It says nothing about how those people are distributed — most countries concentrate far more heavily in cities than the national average implies.
Where do these Nepal figures come from?
Every figure on this Nepal page comes from World Bank open data (CC BY 4.0), using the indicators listed in the table above with each one's own reporting year. The headline population is the World Bank's 2025 estimate, and the live counter carries it forward at the published -0.11% annual growth rate. Nothing else is estimated by hand: density, urban share, fertility, life expectancy and age structure are reported exactly as published. Where an indicator is not available for Nepal, its row and the sentence that would have used it are left out rather than filled with a guess.

Current local time in Nepal

Methodology & sources

Data: World Bank (CC BY 4.0), base year 2025. The live counter animates the latest annual growth rate per second; it is an estimate, not a real-time measurement. No figures are invented — every number traces back to the World Bank indicators listed above.

Source: World Bank