Country import demand

Nepal
import demand

A reported view of Nepal's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

NPL1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$11.5B2024 reported
Import growth+6.8%Year on year
Population29.7MReported population
GDP per capita$1.4KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness36.8%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Nepal import?

In 2024, Nepal recorded $11.5B in reported imports. Imports changed +6.8% year on year and -6% annualized over three years. Animal and vegetable fats was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$7.2B
2014
$8.2B
2015
$6.0B
2016
$7.6B
2017
$8.9B
2018
$11.2B
2019
$10.9B
2020
$8.7B
2021
$13.9B
2022
$12.2B
2023
$10.8B
2024
$11.5B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$42.9B2024 macro context
GDP growth4.7%Five-year CAGR
Population growth0.9%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate33%National rate
Savings rate10.2%National rate
Trade openness36.8%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Nepal
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Animal and vegetable fatsHS2 15$203.7M1.8%3840
2Carpets and textile floor coveringsHS2 57$5.2M0%4022
3Coffee, tea and spicesHS2 09$62.0M0.5%5839
4Man-made staple fibresHS2 55$123.5M1.1%2799
5Iron and steelHS2 72$846.5M7.3%21155
6BeveragesHS2 22$18.6M0.2%3924
7Non-knitted clothingHS2 62$142.5M1.2%98112
8Wood and wood articlesHS2 44$34.3M0.3%4597
9Food industry residuesHS2 23$181.8M1.6%3521
10Other made-up textile articlesHS2 63$27.0M0.2%7752

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration4,820.8Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share82.3%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets7Reported count
Average distance8,201 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3NPL
Exports Usd$1.2B
Imports Usd$11.5B
Trade Balance Usd-$10.3B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct1.8%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct6.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-8.7%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-6%
Export Partner Hhi4,820.8
Export Product Hhi302.7
Momentum Score-1.4
Risk Score25.6
Gdp Million Usd42,914.3 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$1.4K
Population29,651,054
Labor Force19,521.4
Investment Rate Pct33%
Savings Rate Pct10.2%
Secondary Education Pct46.3%
Tertiary Education Pct4.1%
Total Factor Productivity147.3
Trade Openness Pct36.8%
Exports Gdp Pct3.5%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners7
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners2%
Num Shared Language Partners0%
Avg Partner Distance Km8,201 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta3
Pct Partners Shared Language0%
Pct Partners Shared Border0.7%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,320 km
Num Border Partners55
Num Colonial Partners0
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8.1
Pct Products High Elasticity66.6
Pct Products Low Elasticity4.2
Real Market Potential16,003.1
Foreign Market Potential9,565.7

Supplier context

Country Iso3NPL
All History Lane Count1,502
Current Lane Count599
Critical Lane Count3
High Attention Lane Count66
High Volatility Lane Count316
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count208
Declining Demand Lane Count4
Concentrated Market Lane Count282
Access Friction Lane Count137
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count39
Monitored Exports Current Usd$1.0B
Attention Exports Usd$714.7M
Critical Exports Usd$223.0M
High Volatility Exports Usd$571.3M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$324.7M
Non Fta Exports Usd$251.6M
Monitored Attention Share Pct70.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct21.9%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct75.3%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct32.1%
Export Weighted Distance Km2,813 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.4%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$1.2B
Total Imports Latest Usd$11.5B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$10.3B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct1.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-8.7%
Gdp Latest Million Usd42,914.3 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$1.4K
Population Latest29,651,054
Investment Rate Latest Pct33%
Savings Rate Latest Pct10.2%
Trade Openness Latest Pct36.8%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct3.5%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest7
Foreign Market Potential Latest9,565.7
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4.7%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct3.8%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0.9%
Partner Hhi Latest4,820.8
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct68.4%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct82.3%
Partner Hhi All Avg3,701.7
Partner Hhi All Max6,291
Product Hhi Latest302.7
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct10.9%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct23.2%
Product Hhi All Avg545.6
Product Hhi All Max2,122.8
Total Exports Attention Share Pct58.3%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct18.2%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$1.1B$330.4M-$772.4M+0%
1996$1.0B$366.3M-$660.9M-6.9%
1997$1.1B$339.0M-$807.5M+11.6%
1998$879.5M$433.5M-$446.0M-23.3%
1999$1.1B$554.3M-$530.3M+23.3%
2000$1.1B$693.3M-$392.6M+0.1%
2001$1.0B$471.4M-$540.7M-6.8%
2002$999.2M$561.1M-$438.1M-1.3%
2003$1.3B$625.7M-$698.5M+32.5%
2004$1.6B$722.3M-$831.9M+17.4%
2005$1.7B$720.1M-$951.4M+7.5%
2006$1.7B$717.7M-$967.6M+0.8%
2007$1.8B$834.3M-$960.2M+6.5%
2008$2.2B$957.8M-$1.2B+22.3%
2009$3.4B$716.5M-$2.7B+56.6%
2010$4.3B$788.9M-$3.5B+26.1%
2011$5.8B$827.4M-$5.0B+34.4%
2012$6.3B$712.7M-$5.6B+8.7%
2013$7.2B$784.9M-$6.4B+13.5%
2014$8.2B$933.3M-$7.3B+14.6%
2015$6.0B$776.9M-$5.2B-27%
2016$7.6B$749.7M-$6.9B+27.1%
2017$8.9B$777.4M-$8.2B+17.1%
2018$11.2B$782.9M-$10.4B+25.4%
2019$10.9B$938.6M-$9.9B-2.9%
2020$8.7B$874.1M-$7.9B-19.9%
2021$13.9B$1.6B-$12.3B+59%
2022$12.2B$1.3B-$10.9B-12.4%
2023$10.8B$1.2B-$9.6B-11.3%
2024$11.5B$1.2B-$10.3B+6.8%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
115Animal and vegetable fats$203.7M1.8%3840
257Carpets and textile floor coverings$5.2M0%4022
309Coffee, tea and spices$62.0M0.5%5839
455Man-made staple fibres$123.5M1.1%2799
572Iron and steel$846.5M7.3%21155
622Beverages$18.6M0.2%3924
762Non-knitted clothing$142.5M1.2%98112
844Wood and wood articles$34.3M0.3%4597
923Food industry residues$181.8M1.6%3521
1063Other made-up textile articles$27.0M0.2%7752

Questions about this profile

Nepal import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Nepal import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Nepal.

What is the latest reported import value for Nepal?

Nepal recorded $11.5B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Nepal's imports?

Animal and vegetable fats leads by reported import value at $203.7M.

How many years of Nepal import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and suppliers using reported trade data.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.