The current population of Nepal is 2,91,92,480 as per the 2021 census. The population growth rate is 0.93% per year.In the 2011 census, Nepal’s population was approximately 26 million people with a population growth rate of 1.35% and a median age of 21.6 years. In 2016, the female median age was approximately 25 years old and the male median age was approximately 22 years old. Only 4.4% of the population is estimated to be more than 65 years old, comprising 681,252 females and 597,628 males. 61% of the population is between 15 and 64 years old, and 34.6% is younger than 14 years. In 2011, the Birth rate is estimated to be 22.17 births per 1,000 people with an infant mortality rate of 46 deaths per 1,000 live births. Compared to the infant mortality rate in 2006 of 48 deaths per 1000 live births, the 2011 IMR is a slight decrease within that 5-year period. Infant mortality rate in Nepal is higher in rural regions at 44 deaths per 1000 live births, whereas in urban regions the IMR is lower at 40 deaths per 1000 live births. This difference is due to a lack of delivery assistance services in rural communities compared to their urban counterparts who have better access to hospitals and neonatal clinics. Life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 67.44 years for females and 64.94 years for males. The mortality rate is estimated to be 681 deaths per 100,000 people. Net migration rate is estimated to be 61 migrants per 100,000 people. According to the 2011 census, 65.9% of the total population is literate.
Population growth
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 5,638,749 | — |
| 1920 | 5,573,788 | −1.2% |
| 1930 | 5,532,574 | −0.7% |
| 1941 | 6,283,649 | +13.6% |
| 1954 | 8,256,625 | +31.4% |
| 1961 | 9,412,996 | +14.0% |
| 1971 | 11,555,983 | +22.8% |
| 1981 | 15,022,839 | +30.0% |
| 1991 | 18,491,097 | +23.1% |
| 2001 | 23,151,423 | +25.2% |
| 2011 | 26,494,504 | +14.4% |
| 2021 | 29,192,480 | +10.2% |
| Source: | ||
The population of Nepal has been steadily rising in recent decades. In the June 2001 census, there was a population of about 23 million in Nepal. The population increased by 5 million from the preceding 1991 census; the growth rate is 2.3%. The current population is roughly 30 million which contributes to an increase of about 3 million people every 5 years.
Sixty caste and linguistic subgroups have formed throughout time with the waves of migration from Tibet and India. There was a moderate amount of immigration early in Nepal’s history, then the population essentially remained the same without any significant fluctuations for over one hundred years. Natural disasters and the following government resettlement programs in the 1950s led to a spike in internal migration from the hills to the Terai region. In the 1980s the Western Chitwan Valley became a major transportation hub for all of Nepal. Along with this major change came a dramatic increase in government services, business expansion, and growing employment, especially in the agricultural industry. The valley’s population grew rapidly through both in-migration and natural increase.
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Vital statistics
UN estimates
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR1 | CDR1 | NC1 | TFR1 | IMR1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1980 | 597,000 | 254,000 | 343,000 | 42.2 | 19.3 | 22.9 | 5.80 | |
| 1980–1985 | 651,000 | 253,000 | 398,000 | 41.2 | 16.9 | 24.3 | 5.62 | |
| 1985–1990 | 707,000 | 249,000 | 458,000 | 39.6 | 14.3 | 25.3 | 5.33 | |
| 1990–1995 | 767,000 | 244,000 | 523,000 | 37.2 | 11.6 | 25.6 | 4.97 | |
| 1995–2000 | 805,000 | 224,000 | 581,000 | 34.3 | 9.4 | 24.9 | 4.41 | |
| 2000–2005 | 797,000 | 201,000 | 596,000 | 29.7 | 7.8 | 21.9 | 3.64 | |
| 2005–2010 | 732,000 | 177,000 | 555,000 | 25.2 | 7.0 | 18.2 | 2.96 | |
| 2010–2015 | 20.9 | 6.5 | 14.4 | 2.32 | ||||
| 2015–2020 | 19.5 | 6.2 | 13.3 | 2.08 | ||||
| 2020–2025 | 18.1 | 6.1 | 12.0 | 1.93 | ||||
| 2025–2030 | 16.3 | 6.2 | 10.1 | 1.83 | ||||
| 2030–2035 | 14.5 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 1.76 | ||||
| 2035–2040 | 13.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 1.72 | ||||
| 1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births | ||||||||
Source:
Births and deaths
| Year | Population | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Rate of natural increase | TFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 326,725 | 129,978 | 196,747 | 11.4 | 4.5 | 6.9 | 2.52 |
Structure of the population
Structure of the population (22.06.2011) (Census):
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 12 849 041 | 13 645 463 | 26 494 504 | 100 |
| 0-4 | 1 314 957 | 1 253 006 | 2 567 963 | 9.69 |
| 5-9 | 1 635 176 | 1 569 683 | 3 204 859 | 12.10 |
| 10-14 | 1 764 630 | 1 710 794 | 3 475 424 | 13.12 |
| 15-19 | 1 443 191 | 1 488 789 | 2 931 980 | 11.07 |
| 20-24 | 1 043 981 | 1 314 090 | 2 358 071 | 8.90 |
| 25-29 | 917 243 | 1 162 111 | 2 079 354 | 7.85 |
| 30-34 | 770 577 | 964 728 | 1 735 305 | 6.55 |
| 35-39 | 740 200 | 864 119 | 1 604 319 | 6.06 |
| 40-44 | 660 290 | 725 831 | 1 386 121 | 5.23 |
| 45-49 | 575 101 | 597 858 | 1 172 959 | 4.43 |
| 50-54 | 505 864 | 499 612 | 1 005 476 | 3.80 |
| 55-59 | 412 892 | 405 371 | 818 263 | 3.09 |
| 60-64 | 368 451 | 388 376 | 756 827 | 2.86 |
| 65-69 | 277 782 | 276 667 | 554 449 | 2.09 |
| 70-74 | 199 610 | 195 543 | 395 153 | 1.49 |
| 75-79 | 117 358 | 117 777 | 235 135 | 0.89 |
| 80-84 | 62 787 | 65 990 | 128 777 | 0.49 |
| 85-89 | 25 810 | 26 716 | 52 526 | 0.20 |
| 90-94 | 8 940 | 11 395 | 20 335 | 0.08 |
| 95+ | 4 201 | 7 007 | 11 208 | 0.04 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 4 714 763 | 4 533 483 | 9 248 246 | 34.91 |
| 15-64 | 7 437 790 | 8 410 885 | 15 848 675 | 59.82 |
| 65+ | 696 488 | 701 095 | 1 397 583 | 5.27 |
Life expectancy
| Period | Life expectancy in years |
Period | Life expectancy in years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 34.0 | 1985–1990 | 52.1 |
| 1955–1960 | 34.6 | 1990–1995 | 56.4 |
| 1960–1965 | 36.2 | 1995–2000 | 60.5 |
| 1965–1970 | 39.1 | 2000–2005 | 64.0 |
| 1970–1975 | 42.0 | 2005–2010 | 66.7 |
| 1975–1980 | 44.9 | 2010–2015 | 68.9 |
| 1980–1985 | 48.3 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Demographic statistics
Chhetri boy, the largest caste group in Nepal
| Most populous caste/ethnic groups (Census 2011) | Population | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Chhetri (Khas) | 4,398,053 | 16.6% |
| Brahmin | 3,226,903 | 12.2% |
| Magar | 1,877,733 | 7.3% |
| Tharu | 1,737,470 | 6.6% |
| Newar | 1,539,830 | 5.9% |
| Tamang | 1,321,933 | 5% |
| Sanyasi/Dasnami | 1,287,633 | 4.8% |
| Khas-Kami | 1,258,554 | 4.7% |
| Muslim (taken as a single religious group) | 1,164,255 | 4.4% |
| Yadav | 1,054,458 | 4.0% |
| Rai | 690,989 | 2.3% |
| Gurung | 522,641 | 1.9% |
| Sherpa | 112,926 | 1.8% |
| Thakuri | 425,623 | 1.6% |
| Limbu | 387,300 | 1.4% |
| Sarki | 374,816 | 1.41% |
| Teli | 369,688 | 1.4% |
| Chamar/Harijan/Ram | 335,893 | 1.3% |
| Koiri/Kushwaha | 306,393 | 1.1% |
| Musahar | 234,490 | 0.88% |
| Kurmi | 231,129 | 0.87% |
| Dhanuk | 219,808 | 0.82% |
| Dusadh/Pasawan | 208,910 | 0.79% |
| Damaii/Dholi | 112,946 | 0.42% |
| Sunuwar | 100,000 | 0.38% |
| Kumal | 121,196 | 0.46% |
| Other (more than 100 caste/ethnic groups) | 4,229,290 | 15.96% |
Nepal Demographic and Health Survey
Total fertility rate (TFR) (wanted fertility rate) and crude birth rate (CBR):
| Year | CBR (total) | TFR (total) | CBR (urban) | TFR (urban) | CBR (rural) | TFR (rural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 37 | 4.64 (2,9) | 27 | 2.85 (1,9) | 38 | 4.83 (3,1) |
| 2001 | 33.5 | 4.1 (2,5) | 20.6 | 2.1 (1,4) | 34.9 | 4.4 (2,6) |
| 2006 | 28.4 | 3.1 (2,0) | 21.9 | 2.1 (1,4) | 29.5 | 3.3 (2,1) |
| 2011 | 24.3 | 2.6 (1,8) | 16.6 | 1.6 (1,2) | 25.5 | 2.8 (1,8) |
| 2016 | 22.4 | 2.3 (1.7) | 19.9 | 2.0 (1.5) | 26.3 | 2.9 (2.1) |
The following demographic statistics are from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).
Median birth intervals (median number of months since preceding birth)
- Total: 36.2
- Rural: 35.9
- Urban: 40.3 (2011)
Median age at first birth
- Median age: 20.1 (2011)
Fertility rate – past trend and present
- Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1996)
- Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (2001)
- Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (2006)
- Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman
- Rural fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman
- Urban fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2011)
Ideal family size – mean ideal number of children
- Overall (female/male): 2.1 / 2.3
- Currently married (female/male): 2.2 / 2.3
- Urban (female/male): 1.9 / 2.0
- Rural (female/male): 2.2 / 2.3 (2011)
Ideal family size by gender and age group
- Below is a table of the ideal family size by gender and age for 2011.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 15-19 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| 20-24 | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| 25-29 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| 30-34 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| 35-39 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| 40-44 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| 45-49 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
CIA World Factbook
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Nationality
- Noun: Nepali, Nepalese
- Adjective: Nepali, Nepalese
Religions
- Hindu 81.34%, Buddhist 9.04%, Muslim 4.38%, Kirant 3.04%, other 2.2% (2011 census).
Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 67.9%
- Male: 78.6%
- Female: 59.7% (2018)
Population
- 29,033,914 (July 2016 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 30.93% (male 4,646,048/female 4,333,105)
- 15-24 years: 21.86% (male 3,176,158/female 3,169,721)
- 25-54 years: 35.99% (male 4,707,264/female 5,740,985)
- 55-64 years: 6.22% (male 877,288/female 927,202)
- 65 years and over: 5.02% (male 723,523/female 732,620) (2016 est.)
Median age
- total: 23.6 years
- male: 22.4 years
- female: 24.8 years (2016 est.)
Population growth rate
- 1.24% (2016 est.)
Birth rate
- 19.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Death rate
- 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Net migration rate
- 1.9 migrants/1,000 population (2016 est.)