Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nepal fits inside India 22 times
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · Nepal: 147,181 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Nepal: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nepal’s highest peak towers 263 m above India’s
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Nepal: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of India, versus 26% of Nepal
India: 59.9% (2024) · Nepal: 26.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 49 times as many people as Nepal
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Nepal: 29.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 2.4 times as densely populated as Nepal
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Nepal: 207 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in India are 2.1 cm taller than in Nepal
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Nepal: 164.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in India are 2.8 cm taller than in Nepal
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Nepal: 152.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in India is 3.4 years older than in Nepal
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Nepal: 24.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
India and Nepal are practically level
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · Nepal: 1.96 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.4% of people in India are 65 or older, versus 6.6% in Nepal
India: 7.4% (2025) · Nepal: 6.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nepal hosts 4.1 times as many refugees per resident as India
India: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Nepal: 0.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
India has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nepal none
India: 0.1 (2026) · Nepal: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Nepal 1
India: 3 (2026) · Nepal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 87 times the size of Nepal’s
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Nepal: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
India produces 90% more per person than Nepal
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Nepal: Int$6,175 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nepal than in India (Gini 7 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · Nepal: 30 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
India and Nepal are practically level
India: 2.6% (2023) · Nepal: 2.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Nepal, versus 4.2% in India
India: 4.2% (2025) · Nepal: 10.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Nepal 1.0%
India: 2.3% (2025) · Nepal: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nepal’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, India’s 6.9%
India: 6.9% (2022) · Nepal: 13.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Nepal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× India’s
India: 23% (2025) · Nepal: 25% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
India and Nepal are nearly identical here
India: $85 (2023) · Nepal: $84 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in India live 1.6 years longer than in Nepal
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Nepal: 70.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in Nepal
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Nepal: 22.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Nepal has 40% more doctors per person than India
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Nepal: 1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
India has 2.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Nepal
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Nepal: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Nepal is 18% higher than in India
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · Nepal: 18 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
India and Nepal are practically level
India: 8% (2024) · Nepal: 7.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Nepal smoke, versus 23% in India
India: 22.6% (2024) · Nepal: 28.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nepal rate their lives 0.61 points higher than in India
India: 4.54 (2025) · Nepal: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in Nepal
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Nepal: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Nepal has 78% more meat per person than India
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Nepal: 14.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Nepal has 251 kcal more food per person per day than India
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Nepal: 2,920 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Nepal: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in India went to school 2.4 years longer than in Nepal
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Nepal: 4.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Nepal welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019)
India: 0.01 (2024) · Nepal: 0.02 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 41 more World Heritage sites than Nepal (45 against 4)
India: 45 (2026) · Nepal: 4 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
India has won 41 Olympic medals, Nepal none
India: 41 (2026 edition) · Nepal: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
70% of people in India are online, versus 46% in Nepal
India: 70% (2025) · Nepal: 46% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Nepal is 27% faster than in India
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · Nepal: 116 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in India have electricity, versus 98% in Nepal
India: 99.9% (2024) · Nepal: 97.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
67% of people in Nepal live in cities, versus 36% in India
India: 36% (2025) · Nepal: 67% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Nepal has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79
India: 79 (2024) · Nepal: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 1,154 times as long as Nepal’s
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Nepal: 59 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Nepal fly 18% more passengers per resident than those from India
India: 0.12 (2023) · Nepal: 0.14 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 44% of Nepal, but only 24% of India
India: 24.4% (2024) · Nepal: 43.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in India emits 3.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nepal
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Nepal: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Nepal’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India
India: 24.1% (2025) · Nepal: 100% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 9% more fine dust than in Nepal
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Nepal: 40.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 32% more likely to be murdered in India than in Nepal
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Nepal: 2.1 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nepal are 2.2 times as deadly as in India
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · Nepal: 56 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 10.8 °C warmer than Nepal
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nepal: 13.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nepal gets 73% more rain than India
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nepal: 2,197 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is India bigger than Nepal?
India is larger. Nepal fits inside India 22 times.
Which has more people, India or Nepal?
India has 49 times as many people as Nepal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Nepal?
People in India live 1.6 years longer than in Nepal. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 70.6 in Nepal.
Are people taller in India or Nepal?
Men in India are 2.1 cm taller than in Nepal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
