Bhutan vs Nepal: Share of population living in cities
Bhutan
16.9%
in 2020
Nepal
18.5%
in 2020
Bhutan rank
178th
Nepal rank
176th
Share of population living in cities over time
- Bhutan
- Nepal
How they compare
Nepal currently reports 18.5% against 16.9% in Bhutan, a difference of 1.6%.
That makes Nepal's figure about 1.1 times Bhutan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Nepal ahead.
Bhutan ranks 178th and Nepal ranks 176th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Bhutan averaged higher in 5 and Nepal in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bhutan | Nepal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 2.6% | 2.6% | Nepal |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 3.4% | 3.4% | Nepal |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 3.9% | 5.2% | Bhutan |
| 1980s | 15.2% | 7.0% | 8.2% | Bhutan |
| 1990s | 12.7% | 10.8% | 1.9% | Bhutan |
| 2000s | 20.5% | 13.6% | 6.8% | Bhutan |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 16.7% | 3.4% | Bhutan |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 18.5% | 1.6% | Nepal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Bhutan or Nepal?
- Nepal, at 18.5% against 16.9% in Bhutan as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Bhutan and Nepal?
- 1.6%, with Nepal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bhutan and Nepal?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Bhutan and Nepal rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Bhutan ranks 178th and Nepal ranks 176th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.