Nepal: cities by population
Nepal has a population of 29,629,410 (UN estimate, 2026), with Kathmandu as its capital. The 50 largest of its 66 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+21%
since 2000 (24,546,509)
+17%
projected by 2050 (34,642,027)
201
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Nepal
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | Bagmati Province | 1,442,271 |
| 2 | Pokhara | Gandaki Pradesh | 600,051 |
| 3 | Bharatpur | Bagmati Province | 369,377 |
| 4 | Pātan | Bagmati Province | 299,283 |
| 5 | Birgañj | Madhesh | 268,273 |
| 6 | Biratnagar | Koshi | 244,750 |
| 7 | Dhangaḍhi̇̄ | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 204,788 |
| 8 | Hetauda | Bagmati Province | 195,951 |
| 9 | Janakpur | Madhesh | 195,438 |
| 10 | Butwāl | Lumbini Province | 195,054 |
| 11 | Dharān | Koshi | 173,096 |
| 12 | Nepalgunj | Lumbini Province | 166,258 |
| 13 | Birendranagar | Karnali Pradesh | 154,886 |
| 14 | Madhyapur Thimi | Bagmati Province | 119,955 |
| 15 | Lahān | Madhesh | 102,955 |
| 16 | Bhimdatta | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 88,381 |
| 17 | Triyuga | Koshi | 71,405 |
| 18 | Inaruwa | Koshi | 70,093 |
| 19 | Rājbirāj | Madhesh | 69,803 |
| 20 | Banepā | Bagmati Province | 67,629 |
| 21 | Siddharthanagar | Lumbini Province | 63,367 |
| 22 | Gulariyā | Lumbini Province | 53,107 |
| 23 | Chautārā | Bagmati Province | 51,347 |
| 24 | Īṭahari̇̄ | Koshi | 47,984 |
| 25 | Panauti | Bagmati Province | 46,595 |
| 26 | Ṭikāpur | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 44,758 |
| 27 | Ki̇̄rtipur | Bagmati Province | 44,632 |
| 28 | Chari̇̄koṭ | Bagmati Province | 40,000 |
| 29 | Tulsi̇̄pur | Lumbini Province | 39,058 |
| 30 | Dipayal | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 33,968 |
| 31 | Panauti̇̄ | Bagmati Province | 27,602 |
| 32 | Gaur | Madhesh | 27,325 |
| 33 | Siraha | Madhesh | 24,657 |
| 34 | Tānsen | Lumbini Province | 23,693 |
| 35 | Jaleshwar | Madhesh | 23,573 |
| 36 | Bāgluṅ | Gandaki Pradesh | 23,296 |
| 37 | Khā̃dbāri̇̄ | Koshi | 22,903 |
| 38 | Dhankutā | Koshi | 22,084 |
| 39 | Wāliṅ | Gandaki Pradesh | 21,867 |
| 40 | Dailekh | Karnali Pradesh | 20,908 |
| 41 | Malaṅgawā | Madhesh | 20,284 |
| 42 | Bhadrapur | Koshi | 19,523 |
| 43 | Amargaḍhi̇̄ | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 19,014 |
| 44 | Dārchulā | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 18,317 |
| 45 | Ilām | Koshi | 17,491 |
| 46 | Dhulikhel | Bagmati Province | 16,263 |
| 47 | Chapali̇̄ Bhaḍrakāli̇̄ | Bagmati Province | 10,827 |
| 48 | kankrabari Dovan | Bagmati Province | 10,000 |
| 49 | Jumla | Karnali Pradesh | 9,073 |
| 50 | Lobuche | Koshi | 8,767 |
Twenty years earlier: Nepal in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 24,947,198.
Common questions
What is the population of Nepal?
Nepal has a population of 29,629,410, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 34,642,027 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Nepal?
Kathmandu.