Fast facts

Nepal questions, answered

Clear, sourced answers to the questions people ask most about Nepal, how many districts and provinces, the capital, population, currency, the highest mountain and more. Each answer links to the full data.

Topic

Geography

How many districts are there in Nepal?

Nepal has 77 districts under the 2015 constitution. They are grouped into 7 provinces and subdivided into 753 …

How many provinces are there in Nepal?

Nepal has 7 provinces, created by the 2015 constitution: Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali an…

How many local levels (municipalities) does Nepal have?

Nepal has 753 local levels: 6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rura…

What is the capital of Nepal?

The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu, in Bagmati Province. It is Nepal's largest city and the seat of the federal…

How big is Nepal (area)?

Nepal covers about 147,181 square kilometres, the total of its 77 districts' official areas. It is a landlocke…

How many zones did Nepal have?

Nepal formerly had 14 administrative zones and 5 development regions. These were abolished by the 2015 constit…

Topic

People & society

What is the population of Nepal?

Nepal's population is 29,164,578, according to the final report of the National Census 2021. The annual growth…

What is the main religion of Nepal?

Hinduism is the main religion of Nepal, followed by 81.19% of the population (Census 2021). Buddhism is second…

How many languages are spoken in Nepal?

Nepal has 124 mother tongues recorded in the 2021 census, across five language families. Nepali, the official …

What is the official language of Nepal?

The official language of Nepal is Nepali, written in the Devanagari script (Article 7 of the 2015 constitution…

What is the literacy rate of Nepal?

Nepal's literacy rate is about 76.3% (population aged 5 and above who can read and write, Census 2021). It has…

What is the largest caste/ethnic group in Nepal?

Chhetri is the largest caste/ethnic group in Nepal at 16.45% of the population (Census 2021), followed by Hill…

Topic

Government

What is the currency of Nepal?

The currency of Nepal is the Nepali rupee (NPR), written रू or Rs. It is pegged to the Indian rupee at a fixed…

When is the fiscal year in Nepal?

Nepal's fiscal year runs from 1 Shrawan to the end of Ashadh in the Bikram Sambat calendar, roughly mid-July t…

Who is the head of government of Nepal?

Nepal is a federal democratic republic led by a Prime Minister as head of government, with a President as cere…

When did Nepal become a republic?

Nepal became a federal democratic republic on 28 May 2008, when the first Constituent Assembly abolished the 2…

How many constitutions has Nepal had?

Nepal has had seven constitutions: 1948, 1951, 1959, 1962 (Panchayat), 1990, 2007 (interim) and the current Co…

Topic

Mountains & nature

How many 8,000 m peaks are in Nepal?

Nepal has 8 of the world's 14 eight-thousanders (peaks above 8,000 m): Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, …

What is the highest mountain in Nepal?

Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) is the highest mountain in Nepal and on Earth, at 8,848.86 m, the figure from the 2…

What is the longest river in Nepal?

The Karnali is the longest river in Nepal, flowing from the high Himalaya in the far west. Nepal's three great…

What is the largest lake in Nepal?

Rara Lake in Mugu district is the largest lake in Nepal, covering about 10.8 km² at an altitude of 2,990 m. Ph…

How many national parks are in Nepal?

Nepal has 12 national parks, plus 1 wildlife reserve, 1 hunting reserve and 6 conservation areas, a protected-…

How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Nepal?

Nepal has 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Kathmandu Valley and Lumbini (cultural), and Sagarmatha and Chitw…

Topic

Symbols & general

What is the national animal of Nepal?

The national animal of Nepal is the cow (gai), regarded as sacred in Hindu tradition and protected by law. The…

Why is Nepal's flag triangular?

Nepal has the only national flag in the world that is not a rectangle. It is made of two stacked triangular pe…

What calendar does Nepal use?

Nepal officially uses the Bikram Sambat (BS) calendar, a lunisolar Hindu calendar about 56.7 years ahead of th…

Is Nepal a Hindu country?

Nepal was the world's only Hindu kingdom until 2008, when it became a secular federal republic. Hinduism remai…

Is Nepal landlocked?

Yes, Nepal is a landlocked country with no sea access. It is bordered by India to the south, east and west, an…

Sources & data note

Answers are drawn from the site's source-cited datasets (Census 2021, the constitution, the eight-thousanders and district data). Each answer links to the deeper page with full sourcing.