Kailali District

Kailali District (Nepali: कैलाली जिल्लाListen^ⓘ), a part of Sudurpashchim Province in Terai plain, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhangadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of 3,235 square kilometres (1,249 sq mi) and has a population of 911,155 (2021 census) and (775,709 in 2011 census), (616,697 in 2001 census).

Kailali District
District
Ghodaghodi Tal, Kailali
Location of Kailali District
Coordinates: 28°41′N 80°52′E
Country	Nepal
Province	Sudurpashchim Province
Admin HQ.	Dhangadhi
Government
• Type	Coordination committee
• Body	DCC, Kailali
Area
• Total	3,235 km2 (1,249 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	911,155
• Density	281.7/km2 (730/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+05:45 (NPT)
Postal Codes	10900
Area code	91
Main Language(s)	Tharu, Nepali language, Doteli
Website	ddckailali.gov.np

Before the reunification of Nepal by Gorkha King Prithivi Narayan Shah, this district was part of the Doti Kingdom. Nepal lost it to the East India Company after the Anglo-Nepalese war (1814-1816) between the then Kingdom of Nepal and the East India Company followed by territorial concessions under the Sugauli Treaty. Later on after the treaty of 1860, Nepal recovered this land along with Kanchanpur, Banke and Bardiya.

Geography and climate

Climate zone[1]	Elevation range	% of area
Lower Tropical	below 300 meters (1,000 ft)	59.3%
Upper Tropical	300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft.	25.9%
Subtropical	1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft.	13.8%

Demographics

Historical population

Census year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1981	257,905	—
1991	417,891	+4.94%
2001	616,697	+3.97%
2011	775,709	+2.32%
2021	911,155	+1.62%
Source: Citypopulation[2]

At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, Kailali District had a population of 904,666. 7.77% of the population is under 5 years of age. It has a literacy rate of 77.61% and a sex ratio of 1087 females per 1000 males. 682,430 (75.43%) lived in municipalities.^[3]

Castes/ethnic groups in Kailali district (2021)^[4]

1. Tharu (36%)
2. Chhetri (23.83%)
3. Bahun (12.94%)
4. Kami (8.77%)
5. Thakuri (4.58%)
6. Magar (3.45%)
7. Damai (2.84%)
8. Rana Tharu (2.41%)
9. Sarki (1.49%)
10. Other Hill Janjati (1.06%)
11. Others (2.63%)

Khas people make up a majority of the population with 55% of the population. Tharus and Rana Tharus are the largest minority (and largest single community) with 38% of the population. Hill Janjatis, mainly Magars, are 5% of the population.^[4]

Languages of Kailali district (2021)^[5]

1. Nepali (36.47%)
2. Tharu (35.86%)
3. Doteli (14.16%)
4. Achhami (4.33%)
5. Rana Tharu (2.27%)
6. Magar (1.15%)
7. Bajhangi (0.9%)
8. Others (4.86%)

At the time of the 2021 census, 36.47% of the population spoke Nepali, 35.86% Tharu, 14.16% Doteli, 4.33% Achhami, 2.27% Rana Tharu, 1.15% Magar and 0.90% Bajhangi as their first language.^[5] In 2011, 27.3% of the population spoke Nepali as their first language.^[6]

Religion in Kailali District (2021)[7]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			95.91%
Christianity			2.06%
Buddhism			1.31%
Islam			0.64%
Other or not stated			0.08%

Administration

The district consists of 13 Local Levels, of which one is a sub-metropolitan city, six are urban municipalities and six are rural municipalities. These are as follows:^[8]

• Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City
• Lamki Chuha Municipality
• Tikapur Municipality
• Ghodaghodi Municipality
• Bhajani Municipality
• Godawari Municipality
• Gauriganga Municipality
• Janaki Rural Municipality
• Bardagoriya Rural Municipality
• Mohanyal Rural Municipality
• Kailari Rural Municipality
• Joshipur Rural Municipality
• Chure Rural Municipality

See also

• Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya Teghari Kailali
• Sudurpashchim Province