Koshi Province
कोशी प्रदेश
Home to Mt Everest, Kanchenjunga and the tea gardens of Ilam.
Capital
Biratnagar
Population
4,972,021
17.05% of Nepal (2021)
Area
25,905 km²
14 districts
Density
192/km²
People per km²
Koshi Province occupies the eastern seventh of Nepal, from the Indian border on the Terai to the Tibetan frontier on the high Himalaya. Its provincial assembly adopted the name 'Koshi' in 2023, after the great Saptakoshi river system that drains it; until then it was known simply as Province No. 1.
With its capital at Biratnagar — long one of Nepal's principal industrial cities — the province blends a productive plains economy with the tea estates of Ilam, the trekking gateways of the Khumbu, and some of the country's most significant hydropower sites on the Koshi tributaries.
Geography
Easternmost province, stretching from the Terai plains of Jhapa and Morang up to the world's highest peaks in Solukhumbu and Taplejung — it contains Mt Everest (Sagarmatha) and Kanchenjunga, the world's first and third highest mountains.
Economy
Tea and cardamom from the eastern hills (Ilam), large-scale agriculture and industry in the Biratnagar–Itahari–Dharan corridor, and major hydropower potential on the Koshi (Saptakoshi) river system.
Recommended provincial languages: Maithili, Limbu (Language Commission, 2021 — alongside Nepali)
The 14 districts of Koshi
Koshi Province is divided into 14 districts. The largest by population are listed first.
Koshi Province, answered
What is the capital of Koshi Province?+
The capital of Koshi Province is Biratnagar.
How many districts are in Koshi Province?+
Koshi Province has 14 districts: Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Ilam, Jhapa, Khotang, Morang, Okhaldhunga, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Sunsari, Taplejung, Terhathum, Udayapur.
What is the population of Koshi Province?+
Koshi Province has a population of 4,972,021 (17.05% of Nepal's total), according to the National Census 2021.
What was Koshi Province called before?+
Koshi Province was originally Province No. 1 when the provinces were created in 2015. Renamed Koshi Province in 2023 (formerly Province No. 1).
Other provinces of Nepal
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, so it stays consistent with the district dataset on this site. Provincial capitals are the permanent headquarters fixed by each provincial assembly. The 2015 constitution created seven provinces, initially numbered; each was later given a name by its assembly (Province No. 1 → Koshi in 2023 being the last).
- Koshi Province — overviewWikipedia ↗
- NPHC 2021 — National Report on Caste/Ethnicity, Language & ReligionNational Statistics Office, Government of Nepal ↗
- NPHC 2021 — results portalNational Statistics Office ↗
- Nepal's final census population 29,164,578OnlineKhabar (24 Mar 2023) ↗
- Provinces of Nepal — structure & namesWikipedia ↗
- Constitution of Nepal 2015 — federal structure (Schedule 4)Nepal Law Commission ↗