Estimates of population size and growth from the 1952-54 and 1961 censuses of the Kingdom of Nepal

The Census of Nepal conducted in 1961 conforms to the generally accepted requirements for a national census. Some doubt could be raised about the previous census as part of the country was enumerated in 1952 and part in 1954. More serious doubts still could be entertained about earlier censuses, including their very existence, though there are persistent rumours that they were carried out every ten years or so since about the middle of the previous century. We have only been able to lay our hands on some data in respect of four earlier censuses: those of 1911, 1920, 1930 and 1941. Little more is available than population totals for some of the component areas from these four censuses, and even then the boundaries and coverage of the component parts are uncertain.