The distribution of Nepal's burgeoning population is very uneven, with almost half (48.5%) living in the lowland Terai. Most of the rest (44.2%) live in the Mid Hills, with only 7.3% in the Mountains. The population density is 157 people per km², but only 18% of the land surface is arable land. On this basis Nepal has one of the highest population densities in the world: over 600 people per km² of arable land. Almost 90% of Nepalese live in rural areas, mostly in poverty surviving on subsistence agriculture.
| Year |
Polulation |
Growth Rate |
| 1910 |
ca. 4 m |
?? |
| 1952-4 |
8.5 m |
?? |
| 1971 |
11.5 m |
2.07% (1961-1971) |
| 1981 |
15 m |
2.66% (1971-1981) |
| 1991 |
18.5 m |
2.08% (1981-1991) |
| 2001 |
23.2 m |
2.27% (1991-2001) |
| 2004 |
ca. 27.1 m |
ca. 2.23% (2004) |