Number of airline passengers per year in Nepal
Nepal: Number of airline passengers per year was 4.29 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of airline passengers per year in Nepal, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, number of airline passengers per year in Nepal stood at 4.29 million.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 566.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Nepal peaked at 4.53 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 203,400, in 1970.
Nepal ranks 66th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of airline passengers per year in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 203,400 | — |
| 1971 | 217,900 | +7.1% |
| 1972 | 232,000 | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 250,000 | +7.8% |
| 1974 | 263,000 | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 219,700 | -16.5% |
| 1976 | 248,300 | +13.0% |
| 1977 | 255,000 | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 270,000 | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 416,500 | +54.3% |
| 1980 | 379,900 | -8.8% |
| 1981 | 364,500 | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 400,200 | +9.8% |
| 1983 | 363,700 | -9.1% |
| 1984 | 395,500 | +8.7% |
| 1985 | 422,000 | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 436,200 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 408,800 | -6.3% |
| 1988 | 987,800 | +141.6% |
| 1989 | 679,100 | -31.3% |
| 1990 | 679,000 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 633,900 | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 648,800 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 633,100 | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 682,600 | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 716,700 | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 755,000 | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 755,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 753,600 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 582,600 | -22.7% |
| 2000 | 643,332 | +10.4% |
| 2001 | 641,142 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 352,544 | -45.0% |
| 2003 | 356,369 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 444,691 | +24.8% |
| 2005 | 480,266 | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 509,792 | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 528,226 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 520,303 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 484,394 | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 917,939 | +89.5% |
| 2011 | 901,116 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 776,864 | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 643,140 | -17.2% |
| 2014 | 517,548 | -19.5% |
| 2015 | 510,342 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 634,292 | +24.3% |
| 2017 | 2.44 million | +285.3% |
| 2018 | 4.53 million | +85.2% |
| 2019 | 1.66 million | -63.3% |
| 2020 | 1.99 million | +19.9% |
| 2021 | 2.55 million | +28.2% |
| 2022 | 4.44 million | +74.0% |
| 2023 | 4.29 million | -3.4% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 4.29 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 690,677, 6.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 4.29 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 4.08 million, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of airline passengers per year 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +285.3% | 634,292 | 2.44 million |
| 1988 | +141.6% | 408,800 | 987,800 |
| 2010 | +89.5% | 484,394 | 917,939 |
| 2018 | +85.2% | 2.44 million | 4.53 million |
| 2022 | +74.0% | 2.55 million | 4.44 million |
| 2019 | -63.3% | 4.53 million | 1.66 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 257,580 | 203,400 | 416,500 | 10 |
| 1980s | 483,770 | 363,700 | 987,800 | 10 |
| 1990s | 684,030 | 582,600 | 755,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 496,106 | 352,544 | 643,332 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.35 million | 510,342 | 4.53 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.32 million | 1.99 million | 4.44 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
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 number of airline passengers per year in Nepal?
- Number of airline passengers per year in Nepal was 4.29 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 4.53 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 203,400 in 1970.
- How does Nepal rank for number of airline passengers per year?
- Nepal ranks 66th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 566.9%. 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 Number of airline passengers per year. 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
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.