Bangladesh vs Nepal
Bangladesh and Nepal are almost exactly the same size.
BangladeshNepalBangladesh moved onto Nepal · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Bangladesh is 1.0× the area of Nepal.
 Bangladesh |  Nepal | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 147,570 km²#92 of 194 | 147,181 km²#93 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBangladesh: 5.93× the population | 175,686,899#8 of 194 · 2025 | 29,618,118#52 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBangladesh: 5.92× the density | 1,191 / km²#7 of 194 | 201 / km²#49 of 194 |
| Urban populationNepal: 2.02× the urban share | 33%#163 of 192 · 2025 | 67%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBangladesh: 1.09× the births per woman | 2.14 per woman#89 of 192 · 2024 | 1.96 per woman#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBangladesh: 1.33 points higher | +1.22%#80 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBangladesh: 1.05× the birth rate | 20.0 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 19.0 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNepal: 1.37× the death rate | 5.1 per 1,000#168 of 192 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nepal: 0.5 points higher | 27.6%#80 of 192 · 2025 | 28.1%#79 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bangladesh: 0.1 points higher | 6.7%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 6.6%#107 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBangladesh: 10.0 per 1,000 higher | −2.3 per 1,000#151 of 192 · 2025 | −12.3 per 1,000#186 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNepal: 1.5× the refugees for its size | 0.18 per 1,000#106 of 190 · 2025 | 0.27 per 1,000#90 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBangladesh: 4.3 years longer | 74.9 years#86 of 192 · 2024 | 70.6 years#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBangladesh: 1.1× the infant mortality | 24.4 per 1,000 births#57 of 191 · 2024 | 22.2 per 1,000 births#64 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNepal: 1.4× the doctors per person | 0.72 per 1,000#118 of 178 · 2023 | 1.01 per 1,000#108 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentBangladesh: 1.11× the university enrolment | 23.7%#108 of 145 · 2024 | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBangladesh: 0.063 higher | 0.685#128 of 190 · 2023 | 0.622#142 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBangladesh: 1.81× the income per person | $2,840#137 of 185 · 2025 | $1,570#156 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBangladesh: 10× the economy | $456.32B2025 | $45.49B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bangladesh: 1.64× the output per person | $10,154#127 of 184 · 2025 | $6,175#145 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNepal: 0.9 points higher | +3.5%#86 of 187 · 2025 | +4.4%#58 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBangladesh: 6.1 points higher | +8.8%#23 of 176 · 2025 | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNepal: 2.76× the unemployment | 3.8%#115 of 178 · 2025 | 10.5%#32 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBangladesh: 2.46× the share in extreme poverty | 5.9%#51 of 149 · 2022 | 2.4%#69 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bangladesh: 0.9 higher | 30.9#111 of 149 · 2022 | 30.0#119 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureBangladesh: 21.4 points higher | 44.3% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 | 22.9% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNepal: 13.3 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 | 31.3% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNepal: 8.1 points higher | 37.7% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 | 45.8% of jobs#135 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBangladesh: 0.3 points higher | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBangladesh: 2.3 points higher | 11.1% of GDP#158 of 168 · 2025 | 8.8% of GDP#164 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingNepal: 1.2× the military spending | 0.8% of GDP#127 of 155 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#116 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBangladesh: 1.15× the share online | 53%#142 of 184 · 2024 | 46%#147 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBangladesh: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNepal: 3.03× the forest share | 14% of land#135 of 192 · 2024 | 44% of land#59 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBangladesh: 1.33× the CO₂ per person | 0.72 t a year#140 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNepal: 48.7 points higher | 25.0%#92 of 190 · 2021 | 73.7%#24 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBangladesh: 1.6 points higher | 99.5%#108 of 192 · 2024 | 97.9%#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bangladesh: 1.3× the air pollution | 69.3 µg/m³#3 of 191 · 2023 | 53.2 µg/m³#12 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNepal: 19.4 points higher | 4.2% of land#169 of 191 · 2025 | 23.6% of land#54 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBangladesh: 47.9 points higher | 60.5% of land#1 of 190 · 2024 | 12.6% of land#81 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNepal: 1.46× the water stress | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 | 8.3%#96 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBangladesh: 1.78× the rain and snow | 2,666 mm#11 of 180 · 2022 | 1,500 mm#58 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNepal: 0.50 higher | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 | −0.44#134 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNepal: 0.21 higher | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 | −0.77#139 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBangladesh: 1.1× the homicide rate | 2.3 per 100,000#72 of 146 · 2018 | 2.1 per 100,000#78 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Dhaka | Kathmandu |
| Currency | Bangladeshi taka (BDT) | Nepalese rupee (NPR) |
| Official languages | Bangla | Nepali |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+6 | UTC+5:45 |
| Calling code | +880 | +977 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bangladesh sits at about 24° N and is stretched to 1.2× its true area; Nepal at 28° N is stretched to 1.29×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bangladesh bigger than Nepal?
- Yes. Bangladesh and Nepal are almost exactly the same size. Bangladesh covers 147,570 km² and Nepal covers 147,181 km².
- How many times does Nepal fit into Bangladesh?
- About 1.0 times: Bangladesh has 1.0× the area of Nepal.
- Why do Bangladesh and Nepal look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bangladesh is drawn about 1.2× its true area there and Nepal about 1.29×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bangladesh or Nepal?
- Bangladesh: 175,686,899 people against 29,618,118. Density: Bangladesh 1,191 per km², Nepal 201 per km².
- Which is richer, Bangladesh or Nepal?
- By gross national income per person, Bangladesh: $2,840 against $1,570 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.81× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Nepal?
- In Bangladesh: life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years, against 70.6 — 4.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bangladesh and Nepal have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).