Nepal

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the principality of Gorkha united many of the other principalities and states of the sub-Himalayan region into a Nepali Kingdom. Nepal retained its independence after the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16, and the subsequent peace treaty laid the foundations for two centuries of amicable relations between Britain and Nepal. In 1951, the Nepali monarch ended the century-old system of hereditary rule and instituted a cabinet system that brought political parties into the government. That arrangement lasted until 1960, when political parties were again banned, but it was reinstated in 1990 with the establishment of a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy.

A Maoist-led insurgency broke out in 1996. During the ensuing 10-year civil war between Maoist and government forces, the monarchy dissolved the cabinet and parliament. In 2001, Crown Prince DIPENDRA first massacred the royal family and then shot himself. His uncle GYANENDRA became king, and the monarchy reassumed absolute power the next year. A peace accord in 2006 led to the promulgation of an interim constitution in 2007. After a nationwide Constituent Assembly (CA) election in 2008, the newly formed CA declared Nepal a federal democratic republic, abolished the monarchy, and elected the country's first president.

When the CA failed to draft a Supreme Court-mandated constitution, then-Prime Minister Baburam BHATTARAI dissolved the CA. An interim government held elections in 2013, in which the Nepali Congress (NC) won the largest share of seats. In 2014, NC formed a coalition government with the second-place Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML). Nepal's new constitution came into effect in 2015, at which point the CA became the Parliament and Khagda Prasad Sharma OLI the first post-constitution prime minister (2015-16). He resigned ahead of a no-confidence motion, and Parliament elected Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) leader Pushpa Kamal DAHAL as prime minister.

The parties headed by OLI and DAHAL ran in coalition and swept the parliamentary elections in 2017, and OLI was sworn in as prime minister in 2018. OLI's efforts to dissolve parliament and hold elections were declared unconstitutional in 2021, and the opposition-supported NC leader Sher Bahadur DEUBA was named prime minister. The NC won a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections in 2022, but DAHAL then broke with the ruling coalition and partnered with OLI and the CPN-UML to become prime minister. DAHAL's first cabinet lasted about two months, until OLI withdrew his support over disagreements about ministerial assignments. In early 2023, DAHAL survived a vote of confidence and formed a coalition with the NC to remain prime minister.

Southern Asia, between China and India

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Asia

slightly larger than New York State

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south; central hill region with rugged Himalayas in north

quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

12,090 sq km (2022)

Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin

most of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is low

severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga -- the world's tallest and third-tallest mountains -- on the borders with China and India, respectively

Chhettri 16.5%, Brahman-Hill 11.3%, Magar 6.9%, Tharu 6.2%, Tamang 5.6%, Bishwokarma 5%, Musalman 4.9%, Newar 4.6%, Yadav 4.2%, Rai 2.2%, Pariyar 1.9%, Gurung 1.9%, Thakuri 1.7%, Mijar 1.6%, Teli 1.5%, Yakthung/Limbu 1.4%, Chamar/Harijan/Ram 1.4%, Koiri/Kushwaha 1.2%, other 20% (2021 est.)

Hindu 81.2%, Buddhist 8.2%, Muslim 5.1%, Kirat 3.2%, Christian 1.8%; less than 1%:  Prakriti, Bon, Jains, Sikh (2021 est.)

0.66% (2025 est.)

16.66 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-4.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is low

1.571 million KATHMANDU (capital) (2023)

20.4 years (2016 est.)

142 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.88 (2025 est.)

1.01 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

4.1% (2016)

18.3% (2022 est.)

75.1% (2022 est.)

deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); forest degradation; soil erosion; contaminated water from human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents; unmanaged solid waste; wildlife conservation; air pollution from vehicular emissions

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

36.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

210.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

federal parliamentary republic

7 provinces (pradesh, singular - pradesh); Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh, Sudurpashchim

English common law and Hindu legal concepts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) or CPN-MC
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) or CPN-UML
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) or CPN-US
Janamat Party
Janata Samajbaadi Party or JSP
Loktantrik Samajwadi Party or LSP
Naya Shakti Party, Nepal
Nepali Congress or NC
Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party (Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party) or NWPP
Rastriya Janamorcha (National People's Front)
Rastriya Prajatantra Party (National Democratic Party) or RPP
Rastriya Swatantra Party or RSP

ADB, BIMSTEC, CD, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNSOM, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

Constitution Day, 20 September (2015)

description: crimson red with a blue border, in the shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller upper triangle has a stylized white moon, and the larger lower triangle has a 12-pointed white sun

meaning: red stands for the rhododendron (the national flower) and victory and bravery, and the blue border for peace and harmony; the two triangles are a combination of two pennants that originally symbolized the Himalaya Mountains, but today they refer to Hinduism and Buddhism, the country's two main religions; the moon stands for the serenity of the people, as well as Himalayan shade and cool weather, and the sun for the heat and higher temperatures in the rest of the country

rhododendron blossom

red

low-income South Asian economy; post-conflict fiscal federalism increasing stability; COVID-19 hurt trade and tourism; widening current account deficits; environmentally fragile economy from earthquakes; growing Chinese relations and investments

$42.914 billion (2024 est.)

rice, vegetables, potatoes, sugarcane, maize, wheat, bison milk, milk, mangoes/guavas, bananas (2023)

tourism, carpets, textiles, small rice, jute, sugar, oilseed mills, cigarettes, cement and brick production

0.1% (2024 est.)

8.435 million (2024 est.)

20.3% (2022 est.)

17.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)

India 67%, USA 12%, Germany 3%, China 2%, UK 2% (2023)

knotted carpets, garments, flat-rolled iron, synthetic fibers, palm oil (2023)

India 71%, China 17%, UAE 3%, Singapore 2%, Germany 1% (2023)

refined petroleum, natural gas, garments, iron reductions, broadcasting equipment (2023)

state operates 3 TV stations, as well as national and regional radio stations; 117 television channels are licensed, 71 of which are cable TV, 3 are distributed through Direct-To-Home (DTH) system, and 4 are digital terrestrial; 736 FM radio stations are licensed, and at least 314 of those are community stations (2019)

.np

9N

51 (2025)

14 (2025)

Nepalese Armed Forces (Ministry of Defense): Nepali Army (includes Air Wing)

Ministry of Home Affairs: Nepal Police, Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) (2025)

approximately 95,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

the Army's inventory includes a mix of mostly older equipment largely of British, Chinese, Indian, Russian, and South African origin; in recent years, Nepal has received limited amounts of newer hardware from several countries, including China, Indonesia, Italy, and Russia (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; upper age limit varies; no conscription  (2025)

1240 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,150 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 440 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 875 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 225 Liberia (UNSMIL); 100 South Sudan/Sudan (UNISFA); 1,750 (plus about 200 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2025)

the Nepali Army is responsible for territorial defense, fulfilling Nepal's commitments to UN peacekeeping, and some domestic duties such as disaster relief/humanitarian assistance, social services, and nature conservation efforts; during the 10-year civil war that ended in 2006, it conducted counterinsurgency operations against Maoist guerrillas; the Army has a long history of supporting UN missions, having sent its first UN observers to Lebanon in 1958 and its first troop contingent to Egypt in 1974; as of 2025, 150,000 Nepali military personnel have deployed on over 40 UN missions; Nepal's key security partners are China, India, and the US

the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816); the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army and by 1914, there were 10 Gurkha regiments, collectively known as the Gurkha Brigade; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; four regiments were transferred to the British Army, where they have since served continuously as the Brigade of Gurkhas; six Gurkha (aka Gorkha in India) regiments went to the new Indian Army; a seventh regiment was later added; Gurkhas are also recruited into the Singaporean Police and a special guard in the Sultanate of Brunei known as the Gurkha Reserve Unit (2025)

Indian Mujahedeen