Population growth rate in Nepal
Nepal: Population growth rate was -0.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in Nepal, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Nepal is -0.1%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13,800.0% on the previous year and down 173.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Nepal peaked at 3.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, -0.1%, in 2023.
That places Nepal 190th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.1% | — |
| 1951 | 2.1% | -2.1% |
| 1952 | 2.0% | -3.6% |
| 1953 | 1.9% | -4.5% |
| 1954 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 1955 | 1.8% | -2.1% |
| 1956 | 1.8% | -1.9% |
| 1957 | 1.8% | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 1.7% | -4.2% |
| 1959 | 1.8% | +6.1% |
| 1960 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1961 | 1.9% | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | +6.3% |
| 1978 | 2.3% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 2.3% | +7.5% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +13.4% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -17.4% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -10.5% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -12.8% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -16.7% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -10.0% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -10.7% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -7.8% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -49.6% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -29.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -11.3% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +117.0% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +66.9% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -61.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -49.4% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +164.2% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +466.1% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -11.7% |
| 2022 | -0.0% | -100.1% |
| 2023 | -0.1% | +13800.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's -0.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's -0.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.6%. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -13800.0% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | +466.1% | 0.4% | 2.0% |
| 2018 | +164.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 2014 | +117.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2022 | -100.1% | 1.6% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | +66.9% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | -0.1% | 1.8% | 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 population growth rate in Nepal?
- Population growth rate in Nepal was -0.1% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.1% in 2023.
- How does Nepal rank for population growth rate?
- Nepal ranks 190th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 173.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.