Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal

Nepal: Share of population living in rural areas was 27.4 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
27.4
World rank
108th
of 236 countries
All-time high
68.28
in 1950
All-time low
27.4
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 68.31955: 661960: 63.91965: 61.51970: 58.91975: 56.11980: 511985: 45.81990: 41.81995: 36.62000: 33.12005: 30.92010: 29.52015: 292020: 27.4

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Nepal stood at 27.4. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Nepal peaked at 68.28 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 27.4, in 2020.

That places Nepal 108th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 68.28 —
1955 66.04 -3.3%
1960 63.92 -3.2%
1965 61.53 -3.7%
1970 58.86 -4.3%
1975 56.06 -4.8%
1980 50.97 -9.1%
1985 45.85 -10.0%
1990 41.79 -8.8%
1995 36.62 -12.4%
2000 33.12 -9.6%
2005 30.9 -6.7%
2010 29.53 -4.4%
2015 29.01 -1.8%
2020 27.4 -5.5%

Nepal compared with similar countries

  • Nepal's 27.4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 28.75, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Nepal's 27.4 is above the median for South Asia, which is 22.01, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 67.16 66.04 68.28 2
1960s 62.72 61.53 63.92 2
1970s 57.46 56.06 58.86 2
1980s 48.41 45.85 50.97 2
1990s 39.2 36.62 41.79 2
2000s 32.01 30.9 33.12 2
2010s 29.27 29.01 29.53 2
2020s 27.4 27.4 27.4 1

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 105 Tuvalu 27.59 compare
  2. 106 Grenada 27.53 compare
  3. 107 Benin 27.44 compare
  4. 109 Saint Lucia 27.25 compare
  5. 110 Democratic Republic of Congo 27.11 compare
  6. 111 Guatemala 27.09 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in rural areas in Nepal?
Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal was 27.4 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 68.28 in 1950.
What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 27.4 in 2020.
How does Nepal rank for share of population living in rural areas?
Nepal ranks 108th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nepal data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/nepal/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed