# India and Nepal compared

India and Nepal side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/ind-vs-npl
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- India: c. 320 BCE — Chandragupta Maurya founds the Maurya Empire
- Nepal: 25 September 1768 — Prithvi Narayan Shah proclaims the Kingdom of Nepal

## Economy

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $3.91 T | 2024 | $43 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $2,695 | 2024 | $1,447 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 6.5% | 2024 | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 5.0% | 2024 | 4.7% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 44.6% | 2024 | 40.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.45 bn | 2024 | 30 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 72.2 yrs | 2024 | 70.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 35.4% | 2024 | 66.8% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.0 | 2024 | 2.0 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 55.5 | 2024 | 55.8 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 52.5 | 2024 | 58.8 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 59.2 | 2024 | 34.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 53.3 | 2024 | 46.2 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 56.3 | 2024 | 51.7 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 41.9 | 2024 | 35.0 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.3% | 2023 | 6.2% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.72 | 2020 | 1.01 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 26.6 | 2024 | 25.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 97.0% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 76.4% | 2024 | 16.5% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 78.2% | 2024 | 68.7% | 2019 |
| Education spending | 4.1% | 2022 | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Primary enrolment | 111.0% | 2025 | 128.6% | 2025 |
| Secondary enrolment | 79.6% | 2025 | 90.4% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 34.4% | 2025 | 21.3% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.6% | 2020 | 0.3% | 2010 |
| Researchers (per million) | 259 | 2020 | 60 | 2002 |
| Internet users | 70.0% | 2025 | 46.3% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 79 | 2024 | 100 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 18.6% | 2024 | 0.6% | 2022 |

## Geography

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,973,190 km² | 2023 | 143,350 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 24.5% | 2023 | 41.6% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 60.1% | 2023 | 26.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 2.2 | 2024 | 0.5 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 34.9% | 2021 | 73.7% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 3.2% | 2021 | 0.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.3% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 1.3% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.2% | 2021 | 0.5% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 99.5% | 2023 | 94.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 23.0 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Iron ore | 310 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Rare earths | 2,900 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Bauxite | 25 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Zinc (mined) | 870 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Phosphate rock | 1.5 Mt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | India | Observed | Nepal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.3% | 2024 | 1.0% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $86 B | 2024 | $427 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 3.1 m | 2020 | 112,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/IND.md and https://terralore.co/country/NPL.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- c. 450 CE: **Rise of the Licchavi dynasty** — The Licchavis establish the first well-documented dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley, using Sanskrit, minting coins and linking India and Tibet by trade. (from the Nepal chronicle; sources: Licchavi era; Nepal — History (Himalayas, Monarchy, Unification))
- c. 1482: **Valley divided into three kingdoms** — Yaksha Malla partitions the valley among his sons, founding the rival city-states of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, which compete over Tibet–India trade. (from the Nepal chronicle; sources: Yaksha Malla; Malla era)
- 1814–16: **Anglo-Nepalese War** — A border dispute with British India erupts into the Gurkha War; Nepali resistance is fierce but the East India Company prevails. (from the Nepal chronicle; sources: Anglo-Nepalese War; Treaty of Sagauli (Sugauli), 1816)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/IND/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/NPL/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "India and Nepal compared", terralore.co/compare/ind-vs-npl, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.