Nepal at its true size
Nepal covers 147,181 km², number 93 of 194 countries by area. Home to 29,618,118 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 147,181 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,618,118 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 201 per km² |
| Capital | Kathmandu |
| Local time in Kathmandu | |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 IANA |
| Currency | Nepalese rupee (NPR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Nepali |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +977 |
| Codes | NP · NPL · 524 |
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Where Nepal ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#52 of 19430 million people#20 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#49 of 194201 people per km²#18 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#82 of 19267% urban#20 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#97 of 1921.96 births per woman#23 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#163 of 192−0.11% a year#41 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#78 of 19219.0 births per 1,000 people#16 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#11 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#79 of 19228.1% under 15#16 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#107 of 1926.6% aged 65 and over#24 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#186 of 192−12.3 per 1,000 people#46 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#90 of 1900.27 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#22 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#128 of 19270.6 years#39 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#64 of 19122.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#11 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#108 of 1781.01 doctors per 1,000 people#33 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#114 of 14521.3% gross enrolment#36 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#142 of 190an index of 0.622#39 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#156 of 185$1,570 a person#40 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#147 of 18446% online#40 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#145 of 184$6,175 a person#40 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#58 of 187+4.4% a year#22 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#96 of 176+2.7% a year#20 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#32 of 17810.5% of the labour force#9 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#69 of 1492.4% under $3.00 a day#14 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#119 of 149a Gini index of 30.0#24 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#77 of 17822.9% of jobs#22 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#14 of 17831.3% of jobs#7 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#135 of 17845.8% of jobs#36 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#158 of 1840.1% of GDP#41 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#164 of 1688.8% of GDP#41 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#116 of 1551.0% of GDP#35 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#127 of 191100 subscriptions per 100 people#34 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#147 of 1850.54 tonnes a person#44 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#59 of 19244% forest#12 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#24 of 19073.7% renewable#2 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#119 of 19297.9% with electricity#38 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#12 of 19153.2 µg/m³#9 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#54 of 19123.6% of the land protected#10 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#81 of 19012.6% of the land arable#17 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#96 of 1768.3% of its available fresh water#38 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#58 of 1801,500 mm a year#16 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Nepal’s area, lit up on the map →
- Bangladesh1.0×Nepal and Bangladesh are almost exactly the same size.
- Tajikistan1.03×Nepal and Tajikistan are almost exactly the same size.
- Suriname0.9×Nepal is 10% smaller than Suriname.
- Tunisia0.9×Nepal is 10% smaller than Tunisia.
- Greece1.12×Nepal is 12% larger than Greece.
- Uruguay0.84×Nepal is 16% smaller than Uruguay.
How many times does Nepal fit into…
- Russia: about 116 times
- Canada: about 68 times
- United States: about 67 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Nepal shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Brahmaputra2,900 km
Summits
- Mount Everest8,849 m
- Kanchenjunga8,586 m
- Dhaulagiri8,167 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Nepal. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Nepal
- How big is Nepal?
- Nepal covers 147,181 km², which makes it number 93 of 194 countries by area. About 29,618,118 people live there (2025), 201 per km².
- Is Nepal bigger than Bangladesh?
- Nepal and Bangladesh are almost exactly the same size. Nepal: 147,181 km²; Bangladesh: 147,570 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Nepal?
- Nepal lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Nepal?
- Nepal shares a land border with China, India.