Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal
Nepal: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 16.93 million million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
16.93 million million ton-km
Change on year
down 47.3%
World rank
87th
of 180 countries
All-time high
32.11 million million ton-km
in 2022
All-time low
400,000 million ton-km
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal is 16.93 million million ton-km, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 47.3% on the previous year and up 193.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal peaked at 32.11 million million ton-km in 2022 and was at its lowest, 400,000 million ton-km, in 1970.
That places Nepal 87th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 400,000 million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 400,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 500,000 million ton-km | +25.0% |
| 1973 | 500,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 600,000 million ton-km | +20.0% |
| 1975 | 2.00 million million ton-km | +233.3% |
| 1976 | 1.40 million million ton-km | -30.0% |
| 1977 | 1.50 million million ton-km | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 1.60 million million ton-km | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 1.80 million million ton-km | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 2.50 million million ton-km | +38.9% |
| 1981 | 2.90 million million ton-km | +16.0% |
| 1982 | 2.70 million million ton-km | -6.9% |
| 1983 | 3.90 million million ton-km | +44.4% |
| 1984 | 4.60 million million ton-km | +17.9% |
| 1985 | 6.70 million million ton-km | +45.7% |
| 1986 | 6.20 million million ton-km | -7.5% |
| 1987 | 5.90 million million ton-km | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 27.90 million million ton-km | +372.9% |
| 1989 | 10.50 million million ton-km | -62.4% |
| 1990 | 11.20 million million ton-km | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 23.90 million million ton-km | +113.4% |
| 1992 | 13.80 million million ton-km | -42.3% |
| 1993 | 18.30 million million ton-km | +32.6% |
| 1994 | 16.00 million million ton-km | -12.6% |
| 1995 | 16.90 million million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 17.90 million million ton-km | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 17.90 million million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 15.60 million million ton-km | -12.8% |
| 1999 | 16.00 million million ton-km | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 17.00 million million ton-km | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 16.18 million million ton-km | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 5.48 million million ton-km | -66.1% |
| 2003 | 5.75 million million ton-km | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 6.73 million million ton-km | +17.0% |
| 2005 | 6.94 million million ton-km | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 7.21 million million ton-km | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 7.64 million million ton-km | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 7.23 million million ton-km | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 6.28 million million ton-km | -13.1% |
| 2010 | 6.46 million million ton-km | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 6.49 million million ton-km | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 5.76 million million ton-km | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 5.76 million million ton-km | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.60 million million ton-km | -20.1% |
| 2015 | 4.54 million million ton-km | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 4.90 million million ton-km | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 4.57 million million ton-km | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 8.85 million million ton-km | +93.7% |
| 2019 | 5.85 million million ton-km | -33.9% |
| 2020 | 13.69 million million ton-km | +134.1% |
| 2021 | 17.31 million million ton-km | +26.4% |
| 2022 | 32.11 million million ton-km | +85.5% |
| 2023 | 16.93 million million ton-km | -47.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 16.93 million million ton-km is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.64 million million ton-km, 3.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 16.93 million million ton-km is below the median for South Asia, which is 64.15 million million ton-km, 26% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +372.9% | 5.90 million million ton-km | 27.90 million million ton-km |
| 1975 | +233.3% | 600,000 million ton-km | 2.00 million million ton-km |
| 2020 | +134.1% | 5.85 million million ton-km | 13.69 million million ton-km |
| 1991 | +113.4% | 11.20 million million ton-km | 23.90 million million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.07 million million ton-km | 400,000 million ton-km | 2.00 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.38 million million ton-km | 2.50 million million ton-km | 27.90 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.75 million million ton-km | 11.20 million million ton-km | 23.90 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.64 million million ton-km | 5.48 million million ton-km | 17.00 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.78 million million ton-km | 4.54 million million ton-km | 8.85 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.01 million million ton-km | 13.69 million million ton-km | 32.11 million million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 84 Bolivia 19.89 million million ton-km compare
- 85 Serbia 19.33 million million ton-km compare
- 86 Bahamas 18.57 million million ton-km compare
- 88 Central African Republic 16.20 million million ton-km compare
- 89 Greece 16.02 million million ton-km compare
- 90 Armenia 15.68 million million ton-km compare
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Nepal was 16.93 million million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 32.11 million million ton-km in 2022.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 400,000 million ton-km in 1970.
- How does Nepal rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Nepal ranks 87th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 193.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.