Provinces of Nepal: population and official figures
Nepal is divided into 7 provinces. The largest by population is Bagmati Province with 6,116,866 people (21.0% of the total); the smallest is Karnali Province with 1,688,412. Nepal has been divided into seven provinces since the 2015 constitution; they replace the five development regions shown here before. Population figures are from the 2021 National Population and Housing Census. Each province page adds GDP from the National Statistics Office national accounts for 2025/26, income, jobs, literacy and poverty from the Nepal Living Standards Survey IV 2022/23, and health, schooling, water and child protection from the Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2024-25. Old development-region addresses point to the province that lies wholly inside each of them.
Who governs Nepal's provinces?
Provinces (7): Elected provincial assembly and chief minister; province chief appointed by the federal government. Provincial laws, police, health, roads; supports local levels.
How local power works in Nepal · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 7 provinces, largest first
| # | Province | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bagmati Province | 6,116,866 | 2021 | – |
| 2 | Madhesh Province | 6,114,600 | 2021 | – |
| 3 | Lumbini Province | 5,122,078 | 2021 | – |
| 4 | Koshi Province | 4,961,412 | 2021 | – |
| 5 | Sudurpashchim Province | 2,694,783 | 2021 | – |
| 6 | Gandaki Province | 2,466,427 | 2021 | – |
| 7 | Karnali Province | 1,688,412 | 2021 | – |
Cities: the largest cities of Nepal.
More on Nepal: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal: Nepal Statistical Year Book 2025: Table 1.5 (population by province, 2021 census), Table 8.6 (households and amenities, 2021 census), Table 6.3 (schools by province), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fe008244ecf5…)
- National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal: National Accounts Statistics of Nepal 2025/26: provincial GDP (Table 9.1 and Annex II Tables 1.1-1.7 and 6.1-6.7), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e09da8226350…)
- National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal: Nepal Living Standards Survey IV 2022/23, Statistical Report (Tables 6.1, 11.3, 12.1 and 13.9), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cbebb744184e…)
- National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal: Small Area Estimation of Poverty 2023, press note: Table 1, poverty by province from the NLSS IV 2022/23 Summary Report, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9a74cff3346a…)
- National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal (with UNICEF): Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2024-25, Survey Findings Report (February 2026), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f01d5f5fe2ad…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.