Provinces compared

Koshi vs Karnali

Koshi (4,972,021 people, capital Biratnagar) and Karnali (1,694,889 people, capital Birendranagar) compared side by side, population, density and area. Koshi has 3,277,132 more people.

	Koshi	Karnali
Population	4,972,021	1,694,889
% of Nepal	17.05%	5.81%
Density	192 /km²	61 /km²
Area	25,905 km²	30,213 km²
Capital	Biratnagar	Birendranagar
Largest city	Biratnagar	Birendranagar (Surkhet)
Districts	14	10
Formerly known as	Province No. 1	Province No. 6

Koshi

Home to Mt Everest, Kanchenjunga and the tea gardens of Ilam

Full Koshi profile →

Karnali

Nepal's largest province by area, remote mountains and Rara Lake

Full Karnali profile →

Questions

Koshi vs Karnali, answered

Which has more people, Koshi or Karnali?+

Koshi has 4,972,021 people and Karnali has 1,694,889 (Census 2021), so Koshi has 3,277,132 more people. That's 17.05% of Nepal's population for Koshi against 5.81% for Karnali.

Which is larger by area, Koshi or Karnali?+

Koshi covers 25,905 km² and Karnali covers 30,213 km², a difference of 4,308 km². Karnali is the larger of the two.

Which is more densely populated, Koshi or Karnali?+

Koshi has a density of 192 people/km² and Karnali has 61 people/km². Koshi is denser.

What are the capitals of Koshi and Karnali?+

Koshi's capital is Biratnagar; Karnali's is Birendranagar. Koshi's largest city is Biratnagar, Karnali's is Birendranagar (Surkhet).

More comparisons

Koshi vs Sudurpashchim

Madhesh vs Karnali

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Sources & data note

Population, density and share figures are the final published counts of the National Population and Housing Census 2021 (National Statistics Office). Each province's total area is summed from the official statistical areas of its districts; see each province's profile for full sourcing.