Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal
Nepal: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 72.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal stood at 72.6%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal peaked at 72.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31.7%, in 1950.
That places Nepal 129th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.7% | — |
| 1955 | 34.0% | +7.1% |
| 1960 | 36.1% | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 38.5% | +6.6% |
| 1970 | 41.1% | +6.9% |
| 1975 | 43.9% | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 49.0% | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 54.2% | +10.4% |
| 1990 | 58.2% | +7.5% |
| 1995 | 63.4% | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 66.9% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 69.1% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 70.5% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 71.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 72.6% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 32.8% | 31.7% | 34.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 37.3% | 36.1% | 38.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 42.5% | 41.1% | 43.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 51.6% | 49.0% | 54.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 60.8% | 58.2% | 63.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 68.0% | 66.9% | 69.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 70.7% | 70.5% | 71.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 72.6% | 72.6% | 72.6% | 1 |
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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nepal was 72.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.7% in 1950.
- How does Nepal rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Nepal ranks 129th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.