Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal
Nepal: Share of population living in rural areas was 27.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Nepal, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
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 68.3% 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
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 68.3% | — |
| 1955 | 66.0% | -3.3% |
| 1960 | 63.9% | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 61.5% | -3.7% |
| 1970 | 58.9% | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 56.1% | -4.8% |
| 1980 | 51.0% | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 45.8% | -10.0% |
| 1990 | 41.8% | -8.8% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | -12.4% |
| 2000 | 33.1% | -9.6% |
| 2005 | 30.9% | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 29.5% | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 29.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.2% | 66.0% | 68.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 62.7% | 61.5% | 63.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 57.5% | 56.1% | 58.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 48.4% | 45.8% | 51.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 39.2% | 36.6% | 41.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.0% | 30.9% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.3% | 29.0% | 29.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 27.4% | 27.4% | 27.4% | 1 |
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 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 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 68.3% 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 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by 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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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.