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Kathmandu: population

Kathmandu, Nepal: 3.23 million people in 2025, by the UN estimate.

Rank among the cities of the country: 1 of 19.

In 1975 it had 420,000 people.

In 2000 it had 1.51 million people, so it has grown by 114% since then.

For 2050 the UN projects 4.12 million people.

A city here is a dense area of at least 1,500 people per km² with at least 50,000 people, drawn on a population grid by the UN degree of urbanisation. It can differ from the city’s administrative borders and from national statistics. Years from 2026 on are projections.

Population, 1975 to 2050Projected from 202601M2M3M4M5M19801990200020102020203020402050
2025 Kathmandu: 3.2M

Largest cities: Nepal

City20252050, projected
Kathmandu3,231,5164,115,021
Biratnagar398,453431,981
Pokhara297,320332,129
Pokhariya242,966424,005
Bharatpur161,441182,011
Sitāpur155,726216,287
Laksmipur136,748258,264
Biratnagar122,466134,257
Nepalgunj119,892202,398
Banjariya118,088174,578

Nepal: population and ages

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities