Largest Cities and Municipalities by Population in Nepal
49 cities and municipalities in Nepal, ranked by population at the census of November 25, 2021 (by Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal).
| Rank | City or Municipality | Native Name | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | काठमाडौं | 862,400 |
| 2 | Pokhara | पोखरा | 513,504 |
| 3 | Bharatpur | भरतपुर | 369,268 |
| 4 | Lalitpur (Patan) | ललितपुर | 294,098 |
| 5 | Birgunj | वीरगंज | 272,382 |
| 6 | BiratnagarMorang | बिराटनगर | 243,927 |
| 7 | Ghorahiincl. Tribhuvannagar | घोराही | 200,530 |
| 8 | Dhangadhi | धनगढी | 198,792 |
| 9 | Itahari | इटहरी | 197,241 |
| 10 | Janakpur (Janakpurdham) | जनकपुर | 194,556 |
| 11 | Butwal | बुटवल | 194,335 |
| 12 | Hetauda | हेटौडा | 193,576 |
| 13 | Tulsipur | तुलसिपुर | 179,755 |
| 14 | Budhanilkantha | बुढानिलकण्ठ | 177,557 |
| 15 | Dharan | धरान | 166,531 |
| 16 | Nepalganj | नेपालगञ्ज | 164,444 |
| 17 | Birendranagar | वीरेन्द्रनगर | 153,863 |
| 18 | Tarakeshwar | तारकेश्वर | 151,479 |
| 19 | Tilottama | तिलोत्तमा | 149,479 |
| 20 | Gokarneshwar | गोकर्णेश्वर | 149,366 |
| 21 | Suryabinayak | सूर्यविनायक | 140,085 |
| 22 | Chandragiri | चन्द्रागिरी | 136,860 |
| 23 | Kalaiya | कैलाली | 136,222 |
| 24 | Tokha | टोखा | 133,755 |
| 25 | MechinagarDhulabari-Kakarbhitta | मेचीनगर | 133,073 |
| 26 | Kageshwari Manohara | कागेश्वरी मनोहरा | 130,433 |
| 27 | Jitpur Simara | जीतपुर सिमरा | 127,307 |
| 28 | Mahalaxmi | महालक्ष्मी | 123,116 |
| 29 | Bhimdatta | महेन्द्रनगर | 122,320 |
| 30 | Sundarharaicha | सुन्दरहरैचा | 120,213 |
| 31 | Madhyapur Thimi | मध्यपुर ठिमी | 119,756 |
| 32 | Birtamod | बिर्तामोड | 116,192 |
| 33 | Nagarjun | नागार्जुन | 115,437 |
| 34 | Damak | दमक | 107,227 |
| 35 | TriyugaGaighat | त्रियुगा | 102,725 |
| 36 | Lahan | लाहान | 102,031 |
| 37 | Kohalpur | कोहलपुर | 101,667 |
| 38 | Godawari | गोदावरी | 97,633 |
| 39 | Siraha | सिराहा | 95,410 |
| 40 | Ratnanagar | रत्ननगर | 89,905 |
| 41 | Tikapur | टिकापुर | 89,835 |
| 42 | Kawasoti | कावासोती | 86,821 |
| 43 | Kirtipur | कीर्तिपुर | 81,578 |
| 44 | Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon) | भक्तपुर | 79,136 |
| 45 | Inaruwa | इनरूवा | 74,914 |
| 46 | Gulariya | गुलरिया | 74,505 |
| 47 | Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) | सिद्धार्थनगर | 74,436 |
| 48 | Rajbiraj | राजबिराज | 70,803 |
| 49 | Banepa | भोंत | 67,690 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal (2021 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.
Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.Show moreShow less
Tokyo
33,338,852
Urban area
9,953,160
23 wards
Essen
2,709,375
Urban area
573,618
City of Essen
Ankara
3,630,865
Urban area
5,186,002
Metropolitan municipality
What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.
Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.
19 urban areas in Nepal with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population Estimate (2026) | Yearly Change | Land Area (km²) | Density (P/km²) | World Rank | Projections (2030) | Projections (2050) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | 3,271,272 | +1.22% | 332 | 9,847 | 147 | 3,430,297 | 4,115,021 |
| 2 | Biratnagar | 399,467 | +0.25% | 70 | 5,707 | 1,434 | 403,524 | 431,981 |
| 3 | Pokhara | 298,328 | +0.34% | 53 | 5,629 | 1,957 | 302,358 | 332,129 |
| 4 | Pokhariya | 249,172 | +2.49% | 42 | 5,961 | 2,377 | 273,995 | 424,005 |
| 5 | Bharatpur | 162,063 | +0.38% | 41 | 3,953 | 3,784 | 164,549 | 182,011 |
| 6 | Sitāpur | 156,338 | +0.39% | 21 | 7,445 | 3,924 | 158,785 | 216,287 |
| 7 | Laksmipur | 138,374 | +1.18% | 36 | 3,844 | 4,455 | 144,880 | 258,264 |
| 8 | Biratnagar | 122,729 | +0.21% | 35 | 3,507 | 5,068 | 123,781 | 134,257 |
| 9 | Nepalgunj | 121,485 | +1.31% | 25 | 4,938 | 5,124 | 127,857 | 202,398 |
| 10 | Banjariya | 119,365 | +1.07% | 18 | 6,631 | 5,212 | 124,474 | 174,578 |
| 11 | Tulsipur | 106,452 | +0.41% | 32 | 3,327 | 5,876 | 108,181 | 118,517 |
| 12 | Baidehi | 104,068 | +0.09% | 5.00 | 20,814 | 6,018 | 104,458 | 105,775 |
| 13 | Birendranagar | 74,185 | +2.03% | 19 | 3,988 | 8,507 | 80,203 | 87,695 |
| 14 | Jogīkuti | 72,854 | +0.33% | 15 | 4,857 | 8,643 | 73,809 | 81,610 |
| 15 | Hetauda | 72,825 | +2.84% | 18 | 4,091 | 8,646 | 81,108 | 131,904 |
| 16 | Kalaiya | 60,100 | +12.95% | 13 | 4,695 | 10,415 | 91,183 | 234,837 |
| 17 | Birtamod | 57,616 | +0.18% | 11 | 5,238 | 10,827 | 58,039 | 60,196 |
| 18 | Farena1 | 54,975 | +0.47% | 20 | 2,749 | 11,321 | 56,015 | 78,674 |
| 19 | Kohalpur | 53,186 | +0.43% | 13 | 4,091 | 11,675 | 54,091 | 63,826 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.