Sentinel-2 cloudless 2020

Nepal's land cover in 2020

The Nepal-adapted U-Net applied to the 2020 Sentinel-2 cloudless annual mosaic (10 m) at 1038 stratified sample sites: forest 44.4%, farmland 11.0%, rangeland 26.9%, built-up 2.9%, bare land 13.5% and water 1.3%.

Nepal in 2020

Urban land 2.9%Agriculture land 11.0%Rangeland 26.9%Forest land 44.4%Water 1.3%Barren land 13.5%

Show the numbers

Nepal land cover 2020
Class	U-Net (%)	95% interval	Change since 2019	Reference map (%)
Urban land	2.9	2.4–3.3	−0.7	3.3
Agriculture land	11.0	9.9–12.1	+0.1	10.5
Rangeland	26.9	25.5–28.3	−4.1	31.9
Forest land	44.4	42.5–46.4	+1.7	43.2
Water	1.3	1.1–1.6	−0.6	0.5
Barren land	13.5	12.1–14.9	+3.5	10.6

Every district in 2020

District	Province	Forest %	Farmland %	Rangeland %	Built-up %
Achham	Sudur Paschim	49.6	1.2	46.2	0.1
Arghakhanchi	Lumbini	78.3	0.3	20.9	0.5
Baglung	Gandaki	69.0	0.0	30.9	0.0
Baitadi	Sudur Paschim	27.4	1.5	70.8	0.2
Bajhang	Sudur Paschim	30.6	0.3	40.3	0.0
Bajura	Sudur Paschim	34.8	0.7	48.0	1.4
Banke	Lumbini	61.6	30.6	2.0	4.3
Bara	Madhesh	22.2	64.1	0.1	10.8
Bardiya	Lumbini	56.7	35.0	1.8	5.7
Bhaktapur	Bagmati	13.0	28.5	4.2	54.2
Bhojpur	Koshi	82.4	1.1	15.8	0.7
Chitawan	Bagmati	60.0	18.6	16.2	4.1
Dadeldhura	Sudur Paschim	80.4	0.8	18.6	0.2
Dailekh	Karnali	64.7	0.7	33.6	0.0
Dang	Lumbini	71.3	14.6	11.2	1.0
Darchula	Sudur Paschim	33.8	0.1	52.7	0.1
Dhading	Bagmati	47.3	2.7	40.3	2.3
Dhankuta	Koshi	69.7	1.2	27.9	1.3
Dhanusa	Madhesh	18.7	63.4	5.3	11.9
Dolakha	Bagmati	32.7	2.9	32.4	2.1
Dolpa	Karnali	9.4	1.1	50.7	0.1
Doti	Sudur Paschim	79.4	0.0	20.5	0.1
Gorkha	Gandaki	30.7	0.9	42.1	0.2
Gulmi	Lumbini	84.0	0.2	15.6	0.2
Humla	Karnali	13.7	0.1	26.3	0.0
Ilam	Koshi	85.1	8.7	5.5	0.6
Jajarkot	Karnali	59.9	0.6	38.8	0.1
Jhapa	Koshi	24.1	59.9	2.2	9.8
Jumla	Karnali	32.7	4.1	57.2	0.7
Kailali	Sudur Paschim	60.7	22.2	7.9	6.8
Kalikot	Karnali	42.8	17.0	39.6	0.2
Kanchanpur	Sudur Paschim	41.1	42.8	8.0	5.4
Kapilbastu	Lumbini	24.3	58.9	3.5	12.0
Kaski	Gandaki	58.7	2.1	27.8	0.7
Kathmandu	Bagmati	7.1	5.1	5.4	82.1
Kavrepalanchok	Bagmati	62.3	4.9	29.9	3.0
Khotang	Koshi	60.5	0.1	39.0	0.2
Lalitpur	Bagmati	50.5	6.3	14.8	27.6
Lamjung	Gandaki	56.4	0.0	30.7	0.0
Mahottari	Madhesh	48.2	37.1	1.6	8.6
Makwanpur	Bagmati	72.2	12.4	7.2	7.6
Manang	Gandaki	2.1	0.1	24.6	0.4
Morang	Koshi	31.9	49.6	3.4	14.0
Mugu	Karnali	28.2	1.1	39.2	0.2
Mustang	Gandaki	2.8	0.1	35.0	0.2
Myagdi	Gandaki	52.4	0.2	24.4	2.5
Nawalparasi East	Gandaki	73.9	1.6	23.2	0.2
Nawalparasi West	Lumbini	43.7	44.3	2.2	6.9
Nuwakot	Bagmati	49.4	13.1	23.6	13.5
Okhaldhunga	Koshi	51.8	0.0	47.2	0.0
Palpa	Lumbini	65.7	0.1	33.3	0.3
Panchthar	Koshi	76.8	0.0	23.0	0.0
Parbat	Gandaki	62.6	0.0	37.3	0.0
Parsa	Madhesh	44.9	44.7	1.0	7.0
Pyuthan	Lumbini	63.5	0.2	35.9	0.4
Ramechhap	Bagmati	43.1	0.0	52.4	0.3
Rasuwa	Bagmati	24.7	3.6	22.8	0.7
Rautahat	Madhesh	36.5	48.6	0.1	14.7
Rolpa	Lumbini	64.4	0.4	35.0	0.1
Rukum East	Lumbini	37.8	0.4	54.6	0.8
Rukum West	Karnali	59.8	0.0	38.5	0.4
Rupandehi	Lumbini	22.1	68.2	2.0	6.2
Salyan	Karnali	61.9	0.0	38.0	0.0
Sankhuwasabha	Koshi	56.4	0.6	25.9	0.9
Saptari	Madhesh	17.5	58.5	1.4	19.8
Sarlahi	Madhesh	23.7	60.8	0.5	7.6
Sindhuli	Bagmati	70.4	8.2	15.3	0.3
Sindhupalchok	Bagmati	48.9	2.9	39.9	3.8
Siraha	Madhesh	23.7	58.2	2.9	12.0
Solukhumbu	Koshi	33.3	0.0	28.0	0.0
Sunsari	Koshi	12.1	55.3	1.2	17.7
Surkhet	Karnali	70.2	5.8	20.1	3.6
Syangja	Gandaki	50.2	1.5	47.3	0.7
Tanahu	Gandaki	66.3	6.5	25.6	0.6
Taplejung	Koshi	39.2	0.0	16.9	0.0
Terhathum	Koshi	76.4	0.3	23.1	0.0
Udayapur	Koshi	52.6	21.7	14.9	3.1

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

Other years: 2016 · 2018 · 2019 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

Source: Nepal-adapted U-Net on EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2020 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data); reference: Impact Observatory/Esri 10 m land cover.