Demographics of Nepal

Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal with a population of 800,000 and over. According to a 2001 census, when it comes to religious worship, Hindus constitute 80.6% of the population and Buddhists make up 10.7%, whereas the Muslims faith only make up 4.2% and other religions are 0.9%. The differences between the two biggest religions here in Nepal, the Hindus and Buddhists, are very subtle and academic in nature, due to the mixture of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Both share common temples and worship common deities.

There are a number of different ethnic groups in Nepal, the largest is the Chhettri tribe; following them is the Brahman-Hill, Magar, Tharu, Tamang, Newar, Kami and Yadav. The national language in Nepal is Nepali with 47.8% of the population speaking it as their first language. There are another 20 languages divided into numerous dialects that are spoken in Nepal.

The northern mountains of Nepal are densely populated with a majority of the people living in the central highlands. A census in July 2005 shows Nepal has a total population of 27,676,547 with a growth rate of 2.2% and the life expectancy is 59.8 years of age. Interesting to note is that Nepal’s population has a total literacy rate of 53.74%. Nepal’s population is young with more than 42 percent are under age 15. The high number of youth in Nepal demands higher investment in education and health.

Major exports from Nepal are Commodities such as carpets, clothing, leather goods and grain. Nepal trades with a number of different countries such as India, USA, Germany and UK. Products such as petroleum fertilizer and machinery are imported into Nepal with partners from India, Singapore, Japan and Germany.

back to Culture