What is the capital of Nepal?
Kathmandu lies in the Kathmandu Valley in the Himalayan foothills, at about 1,400 metres above sea level.
Kathmandu is the capital and seat of government of Nepal, a role it has held since 1768. Nepal itself has an estimated population of 29,618,118 (2025).
Kathmandu is also the largest city in Nepal, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Kathmandu at a glance
| City population | 856,767 (2021 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 4,000,000 (estimate) |
| Country | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
| Capital since | 1768 |
| Largest city in Nepal | Kathmandu |
| Time zone | UTC+05:45 (NPT) |
| Currency | Nepalese rupee (NPR) |
About Kathmandu
Kathmandu has been the capital of Nepal since 1768, Kathmandu became the capital of the unified Nepali kingdom after 1768, and had long been the seat of the Kathmandu Valley kingdoms.
Kathmandu is Nepal's largest city and its main governmental, cultural and economic centre.
Nepal keeps an unusual time zone of UTC+05:45, 45 minutes offset from standard hourly zones.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Kathmandu.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Nepal?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Nepal on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.