Sentinel-2 cloudless 2021

Nepal's land cover in 2021

The Nepal-adapted U-Net applied to the 2021 Sentinel-2 cloudless annual mosaic (10 m) at 1038 stratified sample sites: forest 43.2%, farmland 11.5%, rangeland 28.2%, built-up 2.0%, bare land 13.9% and water 1.2%.

Nepal in 2021

Urban land 2.0%Agriculture land 11.5%Rangeland 28.2%Forest land 43.2%Water 1.2%Barren land 13.9%

Show the numbers

Nepal land cover 2021
Class	U-Net (%)	95% interval	Change since 2020	Reference map (%)
Urban land	2.0	1.7–2.4	−0.9	3.2
Agriculture land	11.5	10.4–12.6	+0.5	10.2
Rangeland	28.2	26.7–29.6	+1.3	34.2
Forest land	43.2	41.2–45.1	−1.2	41.2
Water	1.2	1.0–1.5	−0.1	0.5
Barren land	13.9	12.4–15.4	+0.4	10.7

Every district in 2021

District	Province	Forest %	Farmland %	Rangeland %	Built-up %
Achham	Sudur Paschim	48.5	2.8	46.1	0.1
Arghakhanchi	Lumbini	74.6	0.9	23.6	0.9
Baglung	Gandaki	78.8	0.0	21.2	0.0
Baitadi	Sudur Paschim	35.6	1.7	62.5	0.1
Bajhang	Sudur Paschim	35.4	0.1	29.4	0.5
Bajura	Sudur Paschim	37.9	1.0	43.9	1.9
Banke	Lumbini	56.2	28.9	10.5	2.9
Bara	Madhesh	38.9	49.8	2.5	7.4
Bardiya	Lumbini	52.0	30.6	14.0	2.4
Bhaktapur	Bagmati	12.5	26.6	1.8	59.1
Bhojpur	Koshi	69.9	12.0	17.2	0.2
Chitawan	Bagmati	62.5	17.2	16.9	3.2
Dadeldhura	Sudur Paschim	73.0	1.2	25.0	0.0
Dailekh	Karnali	51.0	0.4	48.0	0.0
Dang	Lumbini	65.6	8.8	23.7	0.3
Darchula	Sudur Paschim	39.1	1.5	45.4	1.1
Dhading	Bagmati	40.3	1.1	51.8	1.3
Dhankuta	Koshi	59.8	19.0	15.2	6.0
Dhanusa	Madhesh	16.0	79.3	0.4	3.9
Dolakha	Bagmati	30.8	1.4	33.0	1.0
Dolpa	Karnali	8.9	0.5	47.9	0.0
Doti	Sudur Paschim	83.0	0.0	16.8	0.1
Gorkha	Gandaki	32.3	0.1	33.7	0.0
Gulmi	Lumbini	83.5	0.0	16.5	0.1
Humla	Karnali	15.5	0.0	26.4	0.0
Ilam	Koshi	85.8	3.7	8.8	1.6
Jajarkot	Karnali	44.4	2.0	53.3	0.1
Jhapa	Koshi	30.7	54.5	3.3	8.2
Jumla	Karnali	31.4	1.9	65.3	0.3
Kailali	Sudur Paschim	59.6	25.0	9.4	2.9
Kalikot	Karnali	43.6	11.4	44.9	0.0
Kanchanpur	Sudur Paschim	43.8	45.8	6.8	2.3
Kapilbastu	Lumbini	23.4	65.7	2.5	7.7
Kaski	Gandaki	59.7	1.1	24.5	1.4
Kathmandu	Bagmati	9.4	6.5	3.3	80.8
Kavrepalanchok	Bagmati	70.3	5.4	22.5	1.8
Khotang	Koshi	56.6	0.6	42.6	0.0
Lalitpur	Bagmati	36.7	11.2	20.5	30.3
Lamjung	Gandaki	64.2	0.0	15.2	0.0
Mahottari	Madhesh	42.3	47.5	0.7	5.6
Makwanpur	Bagmati	67.1	11.2	15.8	5.7
Manang	Gandaki	2.6	0.3	25.1	0.1
Morang	Koshi	25.3	64.3	3.9	6.3
Mugu	Karnali	26.3	0.5	42.7	0.1
Mustang	Gandaki	3.0	1.1	37.4	0.7
Myagdi	Gandaki	53.3	1.4	23.4	2.9
Nawalparasi East	Gandaki	64.4	7.0	27.0	0.7
Nawalparasi West	Lumbini	40.3	44.5	8.4	2.9
Nuwakot	Bagmati	35.3	9.9	49.1	5.3
Okhaldhunga	Koshi	47.4	0.3	50.4	0.1
Palpa	Lumbini	53.2	0.7	45.0	0.2
Panchthar	Koshi	81.1	1.7	17.2	0.0
Parbat	Gandaki	61.9	0.1	38.0	0.0
Parsa	Madhesh	48.5	42.6	1.9	5.9
Pyuthan	Lumbini	65.5	0.0	34.3	0.2
Ramechhap	Bagmati	53.4	3.6	42.2	0.8
Rasuwa	Bagmati	23.6	2.6	20.8	0.0
Rautahat	Madhesh	52.2	34.3	0.5	13.0
Rolpa	Lumbini	62.0	0.5	37.4	0.0
Rukum East	Lumbini	40.8	0.8	53.9	1.0
Rukum West	Karnali	43.1	0.2	55.6	0.0
Rupandehi	Lumbini	19.0	67.6	8.2	3.0
Salyan	Karnali	46.4	0.0	53.5	0.0
Sankhuwasabha	Koshi	53.2	1.9	25.5	1.1
Saptari	Madhesh	9.7	70.1	2.5	14.7
Sarlahi	Madhesh	33.0	50.0	3.9	6.9
Sindhuli	Bagmati	70.5	10.7	12.4	0.6
Sindhupalchok	Bagmati	54.4	1.5	35.8	0.7
Siraha	Madhesh	6.8	82.7	0.7	6.9
Solukhumbu	Koshi	31.4	0.8	32.6	0.0
Sunsari	Koshi	9.2	63.9	0.6	11.3
Surkhet	Karnali	62.6	7.0	27.1	3.3
Syangja	Gandaki	44.6	0.4	54.0	1.0
Tanahu	Gandaki	48.1	0.6	50.2	0.0
Taplejung	Koshi	45.0	0.6	10.4	0.1
Terhathum	Koshi	62.8	1.7	34.9	0.2
Udayapur	Koshi	53.5	24.4	15.3	0.9

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

Other years: 2016 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025

Source: Nepal-adapted U-Net on EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2021 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data); reference: Impact Observatory/Esri 10 m land cover.