Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal
Nepal: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 0.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2022, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal stood at 0.4%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal peaked at 0.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2002.
That places Nepal 91st out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.2% | — |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +18.1% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +12.2% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | +4.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 0.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 1.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 0.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.6%, 26% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 89 Brunei Darussalam 0.4% compare
- 89 Brunei Darussalam 0.4% compare
- 92 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.4% compare
- 92 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.4% compare
- 94 Melanesia 0.4% compare
More environment data for Nepal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.43 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per capita 0.0001 1000 ha per person (2024)
- Arable land — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arable land — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal?
- Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Nepal was 0.4% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2002.
- How does Nepal rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
- Nepal ranks 91st out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers seasonal water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).