Nepal

Out Score
coming soon.

Out Score coming soon.

We're freshly researching the laws for every identity lens against our updated methodology. Nepal's scores will appear here once they're published.

Beyond the scoreLearn about Nepal.Official names, languages, local time and practical context for understanding Nepal beyond its legal score.

Destination overview

About Nepal.

Where the Sky Begins

Nepal has a habit of making the rest of the world feel a little flat. Eight of the planet's ten highest peaks rise from its ridgelines, including Sagarmatha — known elsewhere as Everest — which has been drawing dreamers, climbers, and quietly determined trekkers to its base for generations. But the mountains are only part of the story. The Himalayan foothills spill southward into subtropical lowlands, river gorges, and rhododendron forests that turn shocking pink each spring, reminding visitors that altitude here is just one of many dimensions.

Kathmandu and the Valley of Temples

The Kathmandu Valley has been a crossroads of art, religion, and commerce for well over a thousand years, and it shows — in the best possible way. Pashupatinath's ghats hum with ritual at dawn, Boudhanath's enormous stupa anchors one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist communities outside Tibet, and Swayambhunath watches over the city from its hilltop with painted eyes that have seen empires come and go. The old city lanes of Patan and Bhaktapur are practically open-air museums of Newari architecture, where intricate wood-carved windows and pagoda temples pack into neighbourhoods that reward slow, aimless wandering.

Trekking, Wildlife, and the Great Outdoors

Nepal's trail network is among the most celebrated on earth. The Annapurna Circuit, the Langtang Valley, the Everest Base Camp route, and the remote Mustang plateau each offer something distinct — from teahouse culture and mountain hospitality to high passes where prayer flags snap in winds that feel borrowed from another world. Down in the Terai, Chitwan National Park shelters one-horned rhinos and Bengal tigers in tall grasslands that feel nothing like the Himalayas above, while Bardia offers a wilder, quieter alternative for those who prefer their wildlife encounters without a crowd.

Culture, Festivals, and the Art of Dal Bhat

Nepal's calendar is dense with festivals that spill into the streets regardless of the season. Dashain fills the country with kite-flying and family gatherings in autumn, Tihar lights every rooftop with oil lamps a fortnight later, and Holi turns Kathmandu into a joyful riot of colour each spring. Between festivals, the national dish of dal bhat — lentil soup, rice, and a rotating cast of accompaniments — has an almost philosophical status: trekkers joke that it powers you uphill twice a day, and they are not entirely wrong. Nepal moves at its own pace, and those who match it tend to leave with the distinct feeling that they have seen something the rest of the world is only beginning to understand.

Official and Indigenous Names

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (English)
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल (Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal) (Nepali)

Region

South Asia, Applies to Nepal, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim

Continent

Asia, Applies to Nepal, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim

Resident population

29,164,578

2021 data

Capitals and seats of government

काठमाडौं, Kathmandu

Languages

Nepali, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim
Official by law, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim · Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim · ISO 639-3: nep
Nepalese Sign Language, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim · ISO 639-3: nsp
Tharu, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim · Indigenous, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim · Official by law, Applies to Lumbini and Sudurpashchim · ISO 639-3: thl
Bhojpuri, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, Lumbini and Madhesh
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, Lumbini and Madhesh · Official by law, Applies to Madhesh · ISO 639-3: bho
Maithili, Applies to Bagmati, Koshi, Lumbini and Madhesh
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Koshi, Lumbini and Madhesh · Official by law, Applies to Madhesh · ISO 639-3: mai

Show 15 more languages

Magar, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi and Lumbini
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Lumbini · Indigenous, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Koshi and Lumbini · Official by law, Applies to Gandaki, Karnali and Lumbini · ISO 639-3: mgp
Tamang, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi and Madhesh
Official by law, Applies to Bagmati · Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi and Madhesh · Indigenous, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi and Madhesh · ISO 639-3: taj
Newar, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki and Koshi
Official by law, Applies to Bagmati · Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati and Gandaki · Indigenous, Applies to Bagmati, Gandaki and Koshi · ISO 639-3: new
Urdu, Applies to Koshi and Madhesh
Official in practice, Applies to Koshi and Madhesh · ISO 639-3: urd
Gurung, Applies to Bagmati and Gandaki
Official in practice, Applies to Bagmati and Gandaki · Indigenous, Applies to Bagmati and Gandaki · Official by law, Applies to Gandaki · ISO 639-3: gvr
Awadhi, Applies to Lumbini and Sudurpashchim
Official by law, Applies to Lumbini · Official in practice, Applies to Lumbini and Sudurpashchim · ISO 639-3: awa
Bajjika, Applies to Madhesh
Official by law, Applies to Madhesh · Official in practice, Applies to Madhesh · ISO 639-3: vjk
Limbu, Applies to Koshi
Official in practice, Applies to Koshi · Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: lif
Bantawa, Applies to Koshi
Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: bap
Chamling, Applies to Koshi
Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: rab
Rajbanshi, Applies to Koshi
Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: rjs
Santali, Applies to Koshi
Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: sat
Sherpa, Applies to Koshi
Indigenous, Applies to Koshi · ISO 639-3: xsr
Doteli, Applies to Sudurpashchim
Official by law, Applies to Sudurpashchim · Official in practice, Applies to Sudurpashchim · ISO 639-3: dty
Tibetan, Applies to Karnali
Indigenous, Applies to Karnali · ISO 639-3: bod

Applies to

¹ Bagmati² Gandaki³ Karnali⁴ Koshi⁵ Lumbini⁶ Madhesh⁷ Nepal⁸ Sudurpashchim