Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016

Nepal's land cover in 2016

The Nepal-adapted U-Net applied to the 2016 Sentinel-2 cloudless annual mosaic (10 m) at 1038 stratified sample sites: forest 47.4%, farmland 11.6%, rangeland 17.6%, built-up 0.3%, bare land 16.3% and water 6.9%.

The 2016 mosaic was processed differently from later years and the model reads it less reliably: built-up land is underestimated and bare land and water overestimated. Use 2019 and later for comparisons.

Nepal in 2016

Urban land 0.3%Agriculture land 11.6%Rangeland 17.6%Forest land 47.4%Water 6.9%Barren land 16.3%

Show the numbers

Nepal land cover 2016
Class	U-Net (%)	95% interval
Urban land	0.3	0.2–0.4
Agriculture land	11.6	10.5–12.8
Rangeland	17.6	16.3–18.8
Forest land	47.4	45.4–49.3
Water	6.9	6.1–7.6
Barren land	16.3	14.8–17.8

Every district in 2016

District	Province	Forest %	Farmland %	Rangeland %	Built-up %
Achham	Sudur Paschim	63.5	0.2	26.8	0.0
Arghakhanchi	Lumbini	86.0	4.0	8.6	0.0
Baglung	Gandaki	83.6	0.0	11.9	0.0
Baitadi	Sudur Paschim	48.5	5.4	41.4	0.0
Bajhang	Sudur Paschim	46.0	0.0	29.4	0.0
Bajura	Sudur Paschim	51.6	0.0	31.3	0.0
Banke	Lumbini	64.1	25.6	5.9	0.2
Bara	Madhesh	26.5	66.2	6.4	0.2
Bardiya	Lumbini	39.2	40.8	4.2	0.1
Bhaktapur	Bagmati	64.2	12.1	17.5	5.7
Bhojpur	Koshi	29.1	17.1	8.6	0.3
Chitawan	Bagmati	82.8	5.4	4.4	0.3
Dadeldhura	Sudur Paschim	68.2	4.5	13.1	0.1
Dailekh	Karnali	65.4	0.6	14.5	0.0
Dang	Lumbini	72.1	7.0	12.3	0.0
Darchula	Sudur Paschim	42.2	1.9	44.7	0.0
Dhading	Bagmati	69.5	1.7	12.0	0.0
Dhankuta	Koshi	77.8	0.0	22.2	0.0
Dhanusa	Madhesh	3.7	44.8	0.5	1.0
Dolakha	Bagmati	27.1	4.3	8.6	0.0
Dolpa	Karnali	17.9	0.1	44.5	0.0
Doti	Sudur Paschim	80.7	3.9	10.9	0.2
Gorkha	Gandaki	56.7	2.1	17.4	0.1
Gulmi	Lumbini	91.7	0.0	5.2	0.0
Humla	Karnali	24.4	0.3	31.2	0.2
Ilam	Koshi	81.1	1.9	17.0	0.0
Jajarkot	Karnali	70.8	0.1	8.1	0.0
Jhapa	Koshi	33.3	43.4	17.3	1.0
Jumla	Karnali	51.5	0.5	36.7	0.0
Kailali	Sudur Paschim	51.3	29.3	7.3	0.2
Kalikot	Karnali	57.0	0.0	31.4	0.0
Kanchanpur	Sudur Paschim	46.1	50.0	2.0	0.1
Kapilbastu	Lumbini	24.7	70.6	2.4	0.8
Kaski	Gandaki	56.5	3.6	10.3	0.0
Kathmandu	Bagmati	7.6	40.2	15.5	34.8
Kavrepalanchok	Bagmati	47.6	17.4	12.4	0.3
Khotang	Koshi	39.9	10.1	9.8	0.1
Lalitpur	Bagmati	50.1	22.1	13.2	4.5
Lamjung	Gandaki	54.4	0.6	9.4	0.1
Mahottari	Madhesh	23.2	51.6	0.9	0.0
Makwanpur	Bagmati	72.0	6.7	7.6	0.3
Manang	Gandaki	13.3	0.1	23.6	0.3
Morang	Koshi	40.2	42.4	16.0	0.1
Mugu	Karnali	44.1	0.6	29.9	0.7
Mustang	Gandaki	2.7	0.3	32.4	0.0
Myagdi	Gandaki	60.9	0.2	10.7	0.0
Nawalparasi East	Gandaki	93.7	0.2	4.1	0.1
Nawalparasi West	Lumbini	75.0	15.0	6.7	0.7
Nuwakot	Bagmati	64.0	4.7	14.0	0.1
Okhaldhunga	Koshi	27.3	4.5	1.5	0.0
Palpa	Lumbini	71.5	4.0	16.3	0.0
Panchthar	Koshi	89.1	0.0	10.9	0.0
Parbat	Gandaki	86.0	0.0	6.4	0.0
Parsa	Madhesh	64.3	19.0	11.2	0.4
Pyuthan	Lumbini	51.6	2.7	25.2	0.2
Ramechhap	Bagmati	33.9	22.9	6.1	0.4
Rasuwa	Bagmati	33.8	0.1	27.9	0.0
Rautahat	Madhesh	39.9	58.5	0.6	0.0
Rolpa	Lumbini	59.6	0.9	10.0	0.1
Rukum East	Lumbini	67.0	0.0	15.9	0.0
Rukum West	Karnali	68.4	0.4	11.5	0.0
Rupandehi	Lumbini	48.5	38.0	9.4	0.2
Salyan	Karnali	51.1	2.2	22.3	0.0
Sankhuwasabha	Koshi	49.5	2.2	33.6	0.1
Saptari	Madhesh	4.8	55.5	3.2	3.5
Sarlahi	Madhesh	4.0	81.0	2.4	0.1
Sindhuli	Bagmati	30.9	45.5	1.8	0.2
Sindhupalchok	Bagmati	42.2	6.8	8.9	0.3
Siraha	Madhesh	7.3	36.0	1.6	0.6
Solukhumbu	Koshi	19.2	0.5	19.2	0.0
Sunsari	Koshi	23.1	49.9	1.5	1.3
Surkhet	Karnali	74.0	9.6	8.1	0.0
Syangja	Gandaki	62.3	12.7	13.9	0.0
Tanahu	Gandaki	83.8	0.7	12.2	0.0
Taplejung	Koshi	48.6	0.0	21.1	0.1
Terhathum	Koshi	72.3	0.0	27.7	0.0
Udayapur	Koshi	22.4	35.6	10.6	0.4

District estimates rest on 8 or more sample sites each, so their intervals are wide; compare districts with care.

Other years: 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

Source: Nepal-adapted U-Net on EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data); reference: Impact Observatory/Esri 10 m land cover.