Rural population growth (annual %) in Nepal
Nepal: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Nepal, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded -0.8% for rural population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and down 44.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Nepal peaked at 2.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, -7.2%, in 2007.
Nepal ranks 159th of 210 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.8% | — |
| 1962 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 2.1% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | -13.2% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -24.1% |
| 1974 | 1.0% | -25.6% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | -24.8% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -25.8% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -6.9% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +15.8% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | +20.5% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | +32.8% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | +33.2% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +19.6% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | +9.5% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 1.8% | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -12.9% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -23.3% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -20.9% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -36.4% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -47.6% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -88.1% |
| 1999 | -0.3% | -740.4% |
| 2000 | -0.6% | +129.7% |
| 2001 | -0.9% | +55.7% |
| 2002 | -1.8% | +106.7% |
| 2003 | -3.3% | +80.2% |
| 2004 | -4.7% | +39.8% |
| 2005 | -5.8% | +24.2% |
| 2006 | -6.7% | +15.0% |
| 2007 | -7.2% | +7.5% |
| 2008 | -7.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | -6.4% | -9.8% |
| 2010 | -4.9% | -23.9% |
| 2011 | -2.6% | -47.7% |
| 2012 | -1.2% | -54.9% |
| 2013 | -1.1% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | -0.9% | -18.1% |
| 2015 | -0.6% | -39.6% |
| 2016 | -0.5% | -9.9% |
| 2017 | -0.6% | +27.0% |
| 2018 | -0.4% | -30.9% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -252.2% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +137.5% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -78.2% |
| 2023 | -0.8% | -325.5% |
| 2024 | -0.8% | +4.6% |
| 2025 | -0.8% | -4.4% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's -0.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's -0.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is -0.7%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -740.4% | 0.0% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | -325.5% | 0.4% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | +252.2% | -0.4% | 0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | -0.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.4% | -7.2% | -0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.2% | -4.9% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | -0.8% | 1.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.33 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Nepal?
- Rural population growth in Nepal was -0.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was -7.2% in 2007.
- How does Nepal rank for rural population growth?
- Nepal ranks 159th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.