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People

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)