Nepal: Forest rents (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Nepal's forest rents (% of GDP) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.52% to 0.49%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.85 percentage points in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.4 percentage points in 1979. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 67% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, Nepal had the 70th highest value of the 197 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Nepal in the 2021 ranking

• South Africa — 66th of 197: 0.63%
• Vanuatu — 67th of 197: 0.57%
• El Salvador — 68th of 197: 0.54%
• Montenegro — 70th of 197: 0.48%
• Cabo Verde — 71st of 197: 0.48%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 72nd of 197: 0.47%

What this measures

Forest rents are roundwood harvest times the product of regional prices and a regional rental rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 52 values

Forest rents (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 0.08% (2021)
• Bhutan — 2.66% (2021)
• India — 0.16% (2021)
• Maldives — 0.0037% (2021)
• Sri Lanka — 0.08% (2021)

More environment data for Nepal

• Population in largest city — 1.67 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 8.43% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.67 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 5.65% (2025)
• Rural population — 9.77 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 33% (2025)
• Urban population — 19.84 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 67% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 102,403 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Nepal's forest rents (% of GDP)?

0.49% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 1.05 percentage points from 1.55% in 1970. The highest value was 8.14% in 1977 and the lowest 0.42% in 2018.

How does Nepal rank?

70th highest of 197 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in forest rents (% of GDP) unusual for Nepal?

In 2021, Nepal's forest rents (% of GDP) fell 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.52% to 0.49%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.FRST.RT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.