Sentinel-2 cloudless 2018

Nepal's land cover in 2018

The Nepal-adapted U-Net applied to the 2018 Sentinel-2 cloudless annual mosaic (10 m) at 1038 stratified sample sites: forest 44.8%, farmland 11.4%, rangeland 28.9%, built-up 2.1%, bare land 10.1% and water 2.8%.

The 2018 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 2018

Urban land 2.1%Agriculture land 11.4%Rangeland 28.9%Forest land 44.8%Water 2.8%Barren land 10.1%

Show the numbers

Nepal land cover 2018
Class	U-Net (%)	95% interval	Change since 2016	Reference map (%)
Urban land	2.1	1.7–2.5	+1.8	2.6
Agriculture land	11.4	10.3–12.6	−0.2	10.7
Rangeland	28.9	27.4–30.3	+11.3	33.6
Forest land	44.8	42.9–46.7	−2.6	41.3
Water	2.8	2.4–3.2	−4.1	0.5
Barren land	10.1	8.9–11.3	−6.2	11.3

Every district in 2018

District	Province	Forest %	Farmland %	Rangeland %	Built-up %
Achham	Sudur Paschim	34.3	0.5	60.4	0.3
Arghakhanchi	Lumbini	71.6	0.7	26.7	0.2
Baglung	Gandaki	66.1	0.1	32.9	0.1
Baitadi	Sudur Paschim	40.7	0.0	58.7	0.0
Bajhang	Sudur Paschim	32.0	0.0	43.7	0.2
Bajura	Sudur Paschim	39.1	0.1	46.3	0.0
Banke	Lumbini	56.9	29.2	0.2	4.2
Bara	Madhesh	16.6	74.5	0.1	4.2
Bardiya	Lumbini	54.1	38.0	0.3	2.8
Bhaktapur	Bagmati	16.6	15.1	45.0	22.5
Bhojpur	Koshi	70.5	1.1	27.7	0.4
Chitawan	Bagmati	65.8	20.6	9.7	1.4
Dadeldhura	Sudur Paschim	80.8	0.8	17.6	0.1
Dailekh	Karnali	59.6	0.0	39.7	0.0
Dang	Lumbini	68.8	15.2	12.1	1.6
Darchula	Sudur Paschim	37.2	0.0	46.7	0.1
Dhading	Bagmati	59.8	0.0	39.8	0.0
Dhankuta	Koshi	56.6	9.2	32.4	1.6
Dhanusa	Madhesh	22.4	52.1	0.3	21.6
Dolakha	Bagmati	41.3	1.1	36.1	0.9
Dolpa	Karnali	20.6	0.0	45.9	0.1
Doti	Sudur Paschim	69.1	0.0	28.7	0.0
Gorkha	Gandaki	43.2	2.3	37.0	1.6
Gulmi	Lumbini	62.4	0.8	36.4	0.0
Humla	Karnali	18.8	1.2	31.6	0.4
Ilam	Koshi	64.9	3.9	24.8	6.0
Jajarkot	Karnali	56.4	0.0	43.2	0.0
Jhapa	Koshi	8.5	54.9	1.9	23.9
Jumla	Karnali	32.6	0.0	60.4	0.2
Kailali	Sudur Paschim	59.1	29.1	3.0	3.1
Kalikot	Karnali	47.5	0.0	43.1	0.0
Kanchanpur	Sudur Paschim	44.3	49.2	0.7	2.6
Kapilbastu	Lumbini	21.3	72.7	1.0	3.9
Kaski	Gandaki	68.4	2.4	22.2	0.3
Kathmandu	Bagmati	5.5	7.3	30.5	56.2
Kavrepalanchok	Bagmati	63.8	0.1	35.5	0.1
Khotang	Koshi	45.7	0.3	51.3	0.1
Lalitpur	Bagmati	47.5	2.4	28.1	19.2
Lamjung	Gandaki	68.0	0.0	25.2	0.0
Mahottari	Madhesh	42.6	43.5	0.5	3.7
Makwanpur	Bagmati	73.1	2.9	15.6	3.9
Manang	Gandaki	16.7	0.5	31.3	0.2
Morang	Koshi	28.5	60.3	3.3	6.5
Mugu	Karnali	30.3	0.0	46.1	0.0
Mustang	Gandaki	11.9	1.8	33.4	0.4
Myagdi	Gandaki	51.3	1.3	32.8	1.5
Nawalparasi East	Gandaki	82.5	2.5	10.4	0.3
Nawalparasi West	Lumbini	44.9	47.3	0.0	1.4
Nuwakot	Bagmati	42.4	7.7	48.1	1.7
Okhaldhunga	Koshi	50.7	1.2	44.0	0.8
Palpa	Lumbini	68.8	1.3	24.5	0.3
Panchthar	Koshi	66.2	1.9	30.3	0.0
Parbat	Gandaki	62.3	0.1	36.7	0.2
Parsa	Madhesh	37.7	50.1	0.1	3.1
Pyuthan	Lumbini	59.3	0.0	38.8	0.0
Ramechhap	Bagmati	45.7	0.0	53.1	0.2
Rasuwa	Bagmati	34.9	0.0	23.4	0.2
Rautahat	Madhesh	29.2	62.2	0.2	8.2
Rolpa	Lumbini	60.2	0.0	39.7	0.0
Rukum East	Lumbini	39.8	0.0	55.3	0.2
Rukum West	Karnali	66.6	0.0	33.3	0.0
Rupandehi	Lumbini	23.0	70.9	0.1	2.7
Salyan	Karnali	56.1	0.0	43.9	0.0
Sankhuwasabha	Koshi	51.9	0.5	38.6	0.4
Saptari	Madhesh	5.7	71.4	0.1	17.1
Sarlahi	Madhesh	0.4	89.6	0.0	4.6
Sindhuli	Bagmati	67.2	3.3	12.0	2.2
Sindhupalchok	Bagmati	51.5	0.2	47.1	0.7
Siraha	Madhesh	27.7	52.5	2.1	10.2
Solukhumbu	Koshi	38.1	0.0	34.5	0.0
Sunsari	Koshi	16.3	65.8	0.2	2.1
Surkhet	Karnali	67.5	6.4	20.7	4.5
Syangja	Gandaki	54.4	0.9	41.6	1.3
Tanahu	Gandaki	54.8	4.2	22.3	6.9
Taplejung	Koshi	46.6	0.0	27.3	0.1
Terhathum	Koshi	53.6	0.0	46.3	0.0
Udayapur	Koshi	46.1	18.7	15.0	3.5

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

Other years: 2016 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

Source: Nepal-adapted U-Net on EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2018 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data); reference: Impact Observatory/Esri 10 m land cover.