World Factbook
Nepal
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
79.8% (2019 est.)
female
59.4% (2019 est.)
total population
68.7% (2019 est.)
Languages
note
note: 123 languages reported as mother tongue in 2021 national census; many in government and business also speak English
Languages
Nepali (official) 44.9%, Maithali 11.1%, Bhojpuri 6.2%, Tharu 5.9%, Tamang 4.9%, Bajjika 3.9%, Avadhi 3%, Nepalbhasha (Newari) 3%, Magar Dhut 2.8%, Doteli 1.7%, Urdu 1.4%, Yakthung/Limbu 1.2%, Gurung 1.1%, other 8.9% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s)
विश्व तथ्य पुस्तक,आधारभूत जानकारीको लागि अपरिहार्य स्रोत (Nepali) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Hindu 81.2%, Buddhist 8.2%, Muslim 5.1%, Kirat 3.2%, Christian 1.8%; less than 1%: Prakriti, Bon, Jains, Sikh (2021 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.93 male(s)/female
total population
0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.95 male(s)/female
Birth rate
16.66 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
26.5 years
total
28.1 years (2025 est.)
female
28.6 years
Population
male
15,352,706
total
31,334,402 (2025 est.)
female
15,981,696
Nationality
noun
Nepali (singular and plural)
adjective
Nepali
Tobacco use
male
40.3% (2025 est.)
total
22.9% (2025 est.)
female
7.6% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
21.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
25.8% (male 4,125,244/female 3,909,135)
15-64 years
67.8% (male 10,153,682/female 10,957,011)
65 years and over
6.4% (2024 est.) (male 961,717/female 1,015,598)
Ethnic groups
Chhettri 16.5%, Brahman-Hill 11.3%, Magar 6.9%, Tharu 6.2%, Tamang 5.6%, Bishwokarma 5%, Musalman 4.9%, Newar 4.6%, Yadav 4.2%, Rai 2.2%, Pariyar 1.9%, Gurung 1.9%, Thakuri 1.7%, Mijar 1.6%, Teli 1.5%, Yakthung/Limbu 1.4%, Chamar/Harijan/Ram 1.4%, Koiri/Kushwaha 1.2%, other 20% (2021 est.)
note: 141 caste/ethnic groups were reported in the 2021 national census
Child marriage
men married by age 18
7% (2022)
women married by age 15
5.8% (2022)
women married by age 18
34.9% (2022)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
46.8 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
37.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
10.4 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
9.6 (2025 est.)
Physician density
1.01 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
8% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-4.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 91.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 91.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 90% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 8.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 8.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 10% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
3.7% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
10.8% national budget (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
25.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total
23.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
22.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.66% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.88 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is low
Life expectancy at birth
male
72.2 years
female
73.7 years
total population
73 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
142 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 89.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 90.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 96.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 10.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 9.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.571 million KATHMANDU (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
4.1% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.4 years (2016 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
75.1% (2022 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
18.3% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
14 years (2023 est.)
total
14 years (2023 est.)
female
14 years (2023 est.)