The 753 Local Levels of Nepal
Nepal’s 2017 restructuring replaced nearly 4,000 village committees with 753 directly-elected local governments — metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities (gaupalika). Explore every palika on the official-boundary map below.
Local levels
753
Since the 2017 restructuring
Metropolitan cities
6
Mahanagarpalika
Sub-metropolitan
11
Upa-mahanagarpalika
Municipalities
276
Nagarpalika
Rural municipalities
460
Gaupalika
Every palika of Nepal, on one map
Official Survey Department boundaries for all 753 local levels. Click any palika for its name, district and province.
Boundaries: Survey Department of Nepal / UN OCHA COD-AB (CC BY 3.0 IGO), simplified; base map © OpenStreetMap contributors. National-park areas are not part of any palika and appear unshaded.
Local levels by province and type
Counts derived from the district dataset — the same numbers that power each district profile.
| Province | Metro | Sub-metro | Municipalities | Rural municipalities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koshi | 1 | 2 | 46 | 88 | 137 |
| Madhesh | 1 | 3 | 73 | 59 | 136 |
| Bagmati | 3 | 1 | 41 | 74 | 119 |
| Gandaki | 1 | 0 | 26 | 58 | 85 |
| Lumbini | 0 | 4 | 32 | 73 | 109 |
| Karnali | 0 | 0 | 25 | 54 | 79 |
| Sudurpashchim | 0 | 1 | 33 | 54 | 88 |
| Nepal | 6 | 11 | 276 | 460 | 753 |
Browse the palikas of any district from its profile page — every district page lists its local levels with an official boundary map. Start from the districts hub.
Nepal's local levels, answered
How many local levels does Nepal have?+
Nepal has 753 local levels (sthaniya taha), created by the 2017 state restructuring under the 2015 Constitution: 6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities.
What is the difference between a municipality and a rural municipality?+
Municipalities (nagarpalika) are urban local levels that must meet population and infrastructure thresholds set in the Local Government Operation Act 2074 (2017); rural municipalities (gaupalika) cover less-urbanised areas. Metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities are the highest municipal categories, with stricter population, revenue and service criteria.
What are the 6 metropolitan cities of Nepal?+
Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lalitpur, Bharatpur, Birgunj and Biratnagar are Nepal's six metropolitan cities (mahanagarpalika).
How many wards does Nepal have?+
The 753 local levels are divided into 6,743 wards — the lowest units of Nepal's elected government. Each ward elects a chairperson and four members, including reserved seats for women and Dalit women.
Which local level is the largest in Nepal?+
By population, Kathmandu Metropolitan City is the largest local level. By area, the largest local levels are sparsely-populated Himalayan rural municipalities in Karnali and adjacent districts.
Related
Sources & data note
Local-level counts are derived from the district dataset on this site (which follows the official 753-unit structure). Boundaries are simplified from the official COD-AB file for fast loading; verify legal boundaries with the Survey Department.
- Nepal — Subnational Administrative Boundaries (COD-AB)Survey Department of Nepal / UN OCHA (HDX) ↗
- Local Government Operation Act, 2074 (2017)Nepal Law Commission ↗
- Local level restructuringMinistry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) ↗
- National Population and Housing Census 2021National Statistics Office ↗