Annual change in population in Nepal
Nepal: Annual change in population was -20,821 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
-20,821 people
Change on year
down 108.7%
World rank
222nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
573,201 people
in 1992
All-time low
-20,821 people
in 2023
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Nepal, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change in population in Nepal is -20,821 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 73 years on record.
That represents a change of down 108.7% on the previous year and down 137.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Nepal peaked at 573,201 people in 1992 and was at its lowest, -20,821 people, in 2023.
Nepal ranks 222nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.
Annual change in population in Nepal, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 176,055 people | — |
| 1952 | 174,635 people | -0.8% |
| 1953 | 170,922 people | -2.1% |
| 1954 | 169,553 people | -0.8% |
| 1955 | 170,210 people | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 169,904 people | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 170,156 people | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 168,207 people | -1.1% |
| 1959 | 172,663 people | +2.6% |
| 1960 | 184,749 people | +7.0% |
| 1961 | 194,735 people | +5.4% |
| 1962 | 202,723 people | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 208,696 people | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 216,571 people | +3.8% |
| 1965 | 227,022 people | +4.8% |
| 1966 | 235,303 people | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 244,003 people | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 253,558 people | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 260,757 people | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 269,159 people | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 273,878 people | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 279,034 people | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 286,137 people | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 293,196 people | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 302,256 people | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 306,958 people | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 321,525 people | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 340,529 people | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 350,897 people | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 362,505 people | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 369,316 people | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 375,574 people | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 391,125 people | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 396,122 people | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 392,451 people | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 390,434 people | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 382,384 people | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 388,148 people | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 419,151 people | +8.0% |
| 1990 | 466,768 people | +11.4% |
| 1991 | 511,928 people | +9.7% |
| 1992 | 573,201 people | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 570,450 people | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 537,325 people | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 527,960 people | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 496,424 people | -6.0% |
| 1997 | 477,591 people | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 460,900 people | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 444,843 people | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 421,308 people | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 400,246 people | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 382,234 people | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 359,773 people | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 327,890 people | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 292,810 people | -10.7% |
| 2006 | 255,968 people | -12.6% |
| 2007 | 223,068 people | -12.9% |
| 2008 | 201,538 people | -9.7% |
| 2009 | 182,999 people | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 168,920 people | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 122,544 people | -27.5% |
| 2012 | 70,417 people | -42.5% |
| 2013 | 55,081 people | -21.8% |
| 2014 | 82,376 people | +49.6% |
| 2015 | 151,258 people | +83.6% |
| 2016 | 131,840 people | -12.8% |
| 2017 | 55,787 people | -57.7% |
| 2018 | 68,430 people | +22.7% |
| 2019 | 334,378 people | +388.6% |
| 2020 | 552,514 people | +65.2% |
| 2021 | 508,436 people | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 240,419 people | -52.7% |
| 2023 | -20,821 people | -108.7% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's -20,821 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 167,005 people. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's -20,821 people is below the median for South Asia, which is 71,058 people. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +388.6% | 68,430 people | 334,378 people |
| 2023 | -108.7% | 240,419 people | -20,821 people |
| 2015 | +83.6% | 82,376 people | 151,258 people |
| 2020 | +65.2% | 334,378 people | 552,514 people |
| 2017 | -57.7% | 131,840 people | 55,787 people |
| 2022 | -52.7% | 508,436 people | 240,419 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 171,367 people | 168,207 people | 176,055 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 222,812 people | 184,749 people | 260,757 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 302,357 people | 269,159 people | 350,897 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 386,721 people | 362,505 people | 419,151 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 506,739 people | 444,843 people | 573,201 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 304,783 people | 182,999 people | 421,308 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 124,103 people | 55,081 people | 334,378 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 320,137 people | -20,821 people | 552,514 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More population data for Nepal
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.593 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.0333 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.593 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6271 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 37,401 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8872 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.8575 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.6% (2100)
- Population density 222.05 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.41 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Nepal?
- Annual change in population in Nepal was -20,821 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 573,201 people in 1992.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was -20,821 people in 2023.
- How does Nepal rank for annual change in population?
- Nepal ranks 222nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 137.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.