List of prime ministers of Nepal facts for kids

Nepal's top leader, the Prime Minister of Nepal (called Nepālko Pradhānmantrī in Nepali), has had different titles throughout history. Long ago, during the time of the Shah kings, important officials called Mulkajis (Chief Kajis) or Chautariyas acted like prime ministers. These leaders came from powerful families like the Pande, Basnyat, and Thapa families. Most of them were from the Chhetri group, except for one, Ranga Nath Poudyal, who was a Khas Brahmin.

In 1804, a new powerful position called Mukhtiyar was created. This person had all the main executive powers. The Mukhtiyar was the head of the government until November 1843. That's when Mathabarsingh Thapa became both Mukhtiyar and the first person to officially be called Prime Minister. He was also the Chief of the Nepalese Army. Later, during the Rana dynasty (a time when one family held all the power), the Prime Minister's job was passed down from father to son. They also had other big titles, like Maharaja of Lamjang and Kaski.

After the 1951 revolution, Nepal started moving towards democracy. Regular citizens, not just royalty, could become prime ministers, though the King still had a lot of power. In 1959, Nepal held its first general election, and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala became the first elected Prime Minister. However, he was removed from power in 1960 by King Mahendra. The King then set up a system called the Panchayat system, where there was no democratic government until 1990.

In 1990, a big movement called the Jana Andolan happened, and Nepal became a constitutional monarchy. This meant the King shared power with an elected government. But in 2005, King Gyanendra took full control again. Then, in 2006, another movement called the Loktantra Andolan led to the end of the monarchy. On May 28, 2008, Nepal became a federal parliamentary republic. The current constitution was put in place on September 20, 2015. The first Prime Minister under this new constitution was KP Sharma Oli.

Leaders of Nepal's Government (1768–2008)

Early Leaders Before the 1800s

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Title	King (Reign)
			Took office	Left office
1		Vamsharaj Pande (1739–1785)	c. 1776	c. 1779	Dewan	Pratap Singh Shah King Pratap Singh Shah (1751–1777)
2		Swarup Singh Karki (1751–1785)	c. 1776	c. 1777	Dewan
3		Sarbajit Rana Magar (1750–1778)	c. 1777	c. 1778	Kaji/Mulkaji	Rana Bahadur Shah King Rana Bahadur Shah (1775–1806)
(1)		Vamsharaj Pande (1739–1785)	c. 1782	c. 1785	Dewan/Mantri–Nayak
4		Abhiman Singh Basnyat (1744–1800)	c. 1785	c. 1794	Mulkaji
—		Bahadur Shah of Nepal (1757–1797)	c. 1785	c. 1794	Mul–Chautariya
5		Kirtiman Singh Basnyat (1760–1801)	c. 1794	c. 1801	Mulkaji
						Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (1799–1816)
6		Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat (1759–1840)	c. 1801	c. 1803	Mulkaji

Leaders During Nepal's Expansion (1803–1846)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		King (Reign)
			Took office	Left office
1		Damodar Pande (1752–1804)	February 1803	March 1804	Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (1799–1816)
—		Rana Bahadur Shah (1775–1806)	1804	25 April 1806
2		Bhimsen Thapa (1775–1839)	1806	July 1837
					Rajendra Bikram Shah King Rajendra Bikram Shah (1816–1847)
3		Rana Jang Pande (1789–1843) 1st time	1837	1837
4		Ranga Nath Poudyal (1773–1846) 1st time	October 1837	August 1838
5		Chautariya Puskhar Shah (1784–1846)	October 1838	1839
(3)		Rana Jang Pande (1789–1843) 2nd time	April 1839	1840
(4)		Ranga Nath Poudyal (1773–1846) 2nd time	1840	1840
6		Fateh Jung Shah (1805–1846) 1st time	November 1840	January 1843
7		Mathabar Singh Thapa (1798–1845)	November 1843	17 May 1845
(6)		Fateh Jung Shah (1805–1846) 2nd time	September 1845	14 September 1846 (Killed)

Prime Ministers During the Rana Family Rule (1846–1951)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			King (Reign)
			Took office	Left office	Days
8		Jung Bahadur Rana (1816–1877) 1st time	15 September 1846	1 August 1856	9 years, 321 days	Surendra Bikram Shah King Surendra Bikram Shah (1847–1881)
9		Bam Bahadur Kunwar (1818–1857)	1 August 1856	25 May 1857	297 days
—		Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Rana (1823–1863) Acting Prime Minister	25 May 1857	28 June 1857	34 days
(8)		Jung Bahadur Rana (1816–1877) 2nd time	28 June 1857	25 February 1877	19 years, 242 days
10		Ranodip Singh Kunwar (1825–1885)	27 February 1877	22 November 1885 (Killed)	8 years, 270 days
						Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah (1881–1911)
11		Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1852–1901)	22 November 1885	5 March 1901	15 years, 103 days
12		Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1862–1914)	5 March 1901	27 June 1901	114 days
13		Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1863–1929)	27 June 1901	26 November 1929	28 years, 152 days
						Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah (1911–1955)
14		Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1865–1932)	26 November 1929	1 September 1932	2 years, 280 days
15		Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1875–1952)	1 September 1932	29 November 1945	13 years, 89 days
16		Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1882–1961)	29 November 1945	30 April 1948	2 years, 153 days
17		Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1885–1967)	30 April 1948	12 November 1951	3 years, 196 days

Prime Ministers During the Shift to Democracy (1951–1960)

No.		Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Election(s)	Political party	Cabinet	King (Reign)
				Took office	Left office	Days
	18		Matrika Prasad Koirala (1912–1997) 1st time	16 November 1951	14 August 1952	272 days	—	Nepali Congress	M. P. Koirala I	Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah (1911–1955)
—			Direct rule by King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah (1906–1955)	14 August 1952	15 June 1953	305 days	—
	(18)		Matrika Prasad Koirala (1912–1997) 2nd time	15 June 1953	11 April 1955	1 year, 303 days	—	Rastriya Praja Party	M. P. Koirala II
									Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah (1955–1972)
—			Direct rule by King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah (1920–1972)	14 April 1955	27 January 1956	288 days	—
	19		Tanka Prasad Acharya (1912–1992)	27 January 1956	26 July 1957	1 year, 180 days	—	Nepal Praja Parishad	Acharya
	20		Kunwar Indrajit Singh (1906–1982)	26 July 1957	15 May 1958	293 days		United Democratic Party	Singh
	21		Subarna Shamsher Rana (1910–1977)	15 May 1958	27 May 1959	1 year, 12 days		Nepali Congress	Rana
	22		Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala (1914–1982) MP for Morang–Biratnagar West	27 May 1959	15 December 1960 (Removed from power)	1 year, 202 days	1959		B. P. Koirala

Prime Ministers During the Partyless Panchayat Era (1960–1990)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			King (Reign)
			Took office	Left office	Days
—		Direct rule by King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah (1920–1972)	15 December 1960	2 April 1963	2 years, 108 days	Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah (1955–1972)
23		Tulsi Giri (1926–2018) 1st time	2 April 1963	23 December 1963	265 days
24		Surya Bahadur Thapa (1928–2015) 1st time	23 December 1963	26 February 1964	65 days
(23)		Tulsi Giri (1926–2018) 2nd time	26 February 1964	26 January 1965	335 days
(24)		Surya Bahadur Thapa (1928–2015) 2nd time	26 January 1965	7 April 1969	4 years, 71 days
25		Kirti Nidhi Bista (1927–2017) 1st time	7 April 1969	13 April 1970	1 year, 6 days
–		Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari (1923–1994) Acting Prime Minister	13 April 1970	14 April 1971	1 year, 1 day
(25)		Kirti Nidhi Bista (1927–2017) 2nd time	14 April 1971	16 July 1973	2 years, 63 days
						Birendra Bir Bikram Shah King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah (1972–2001)
26		Nagendra Prasad Rijal (1927–1994) 1st time	16 July 1973	1 December 1975	2 years, 168 days
(23)		Tulsi Giri (1926–2018) 3rd time	1 December 1975	12 September 1977	1 year, 285 days
(25)		Kirti Nidhi Bista (1927–2017) 3rd time	12 September 1977	30 May 1979	1 year, 260 days
(24)		Surya Bahadur Thapa (1928–2015) 3rd time	30 May 1979	12 July 1983	4 years, 43 days
27		Lokendra Bahadur Chand (born 1940) 1st time	12 July 1983	21 March 1986	2 years, 252 days
(26)		Nagendra Prasad Rijal (1927–1994) 2nd time	21 March 1986	15 June 1986	86 days
28		Marich Man Singh Shrestha (1942–2013)	15 June 1986	6 April 1990	3 years, 295 days
(27)		Lokendra Bahadur Chand (born 1940) 2nd time	6 April 1990	19 April 1990	13 days

Prime Ministers During the Constitutional Monarchy (1990–2008)

No.		Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Election(s)	Political party	Cabinet	King (Reign)
				Took office	Left office	Days
	29		Krishna Prasad Bhattarai (1924–2011) 1st time	19 April 1990	26 May 1991	1 year, 37 days	—	Nepali Congress	K. P. Bhattarai I	Birendra Bir Bikram Shah King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah (1972–2001)
	30		Girija Prasad Koirala (1924–2010) MP for Morang 1 1st time	26 May 1991	30 November 1994	3 years, 188 days	1991		G. P. Koirala I
	31		Man Mohan Adhikari (1920–1999) MP for Kathmandu 3	30 November 1994	12 September 1995	286 days	1994	Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)	Adhikari
	32		Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946) MP for Dadeldhura 1 1st time	12 September 1995	12 March 1997	1 year, 181 days		Nepali Congress	Deuba I
	(27)		Lokendra Bahadur Chand (born 1940) MP for Baitadi 2 3rd time	12 March 1997	7 October 1997	209 days		Rastriya Prajatantra Party	Chand III
	(24)		Surya Bahadur Thapa (1928–2015) MP for Dhankuta 2 4th time	7 October 1997	15 April 1998	190 days			Thapa IV
	(30)		Girija Prasad Koirala (1924–2010) MP for Morang 1 2nd time	15 April 1998	23 December 1998	252 days		Nepali Congress	G.P. Koirala II & III
			3rd time	23 December 1998	31 May 1999	159 days
	(29)		Krishna Prasad Bhattarai (1924–2011) MP for Parsa 1 2nd time	31 May 1999	22 March 2000	296 days	1999		K.P. Bhattarai II
	(30)		Girija Prasad Koirala (1924–2010) MP for Sunsari 5 4th time	22 March 2000	26 July 2001	1 year, 126 days			Girija IV
										Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah (2001–2008)
	(32)		Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946) MP for Dadeldhura 1 2nd time	26 July 2001	4 October 2002	1 year, 70 days			Deuba II
—			Direct rule by King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah (born 1947)	4 October 2002	11 October 2002	7 days	—
	(27)		Lokendra Bahadur Chand (born 1940) 4th time	11 October 2002	5 June 2003	237 days	—	Rastriya Prajatantra Party	Chand IV
	(24)		Surya Bahadur Thapa (1928–2015) 5th time	5 June 2003	3 June 2004	364 days			Thapa V
	(32)		Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946) 3rd time	3 June 2004	1 February 2005 (Removed from power)	243 days		Nepali Congress (Democratic)	Deuba III
—			Direct rule by King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah (born 1947)	1 February 2005	25 April 2006	1 year, 83 days	—
	(30)		Girija Prasad Koirala (1924–2010) 5th time	25 April 2006	1 April 2007	341 days	—	Nepali Congress	Girija V
			Interim term	1 April 2007	18 August 2008	1 year, 139 days			Girija (Interim)
										Himself (2007–2008) (Acting Head of State)

Prime Ministers of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (2008–Present)

No.		Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Election(s)	Political party	Cabinet	President (Term)
				Took office	Left office	Days
	33		Pushpa Kamal Dahal (born 1954) MCA for Kathmandu 10 1st time	18 August 2008	25 May 2009	280 days	2008 (Constituent Assembly)	Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)	Dahal I	Ram Baran Yadav President Ram Baran Yadav (2008–2015)
	34		Madhav Kumar Nepal (born 1953) Nominated MCA	25 May 2009	6 February 2011	1 year, 257 days		Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)	Nepal
	35		Jhala Nath Khanal (born 1950) MCA for Ilam 1	6 February 2011	29 August 2011	204 days			Khanal
	36		Baburam Bhattarai (born 1954) MCA for Gorkha 2	29 August 2011	14 March 2013	1 year, 197 days		Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)	B. Bhattarai
	—		Khil Raj Regmi (born 1949) Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers	14 March 2013	11 February 2014	334 days	—	Independent	Regmi (Interim)
	37		Sushil Koirala (1939–2016) MCA for Banke 3	11 February 2014	12 October 2015	1 year, 243 days	2013 (Constituent Assembly)	Nepali Congress	S. Koirala
	38		KP Sharma Oli (born 1952) MCA for Jhapa 7 1st time	12 October 2015	4 August 2016	297 days		Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)	Oli I
										Bidya Devi Bhandari President Bidya Devi Bhandari (2015–2023)
	(33)		Pushpa Kamal Dahal (born 1954) MCA for Siraha 5 2nd time	4 August 2016	7 June 2017	307 days		Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)	Dahal II
	(32)		Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946) MCA for Dadeldhura 1 4th time	7 June 2017	15 February 2018	253 days		Nepali Congress	Deuba IV
	(38)		KP Sharma Oli (born 1952) MP for Jhapa 5 2nd time	15 February 2018	14 May 2021	3 years, 88 days	2017	Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)	Oli II
			3rd time as minority PM	14 May 2021	13 July 2021	60 days			Oli III
	(32)		Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946) MP for Dadeldhura 1 5th time	13 July 2021	26 December 2022	1 year, 166 days		Nepali Congress	Deuba V
	(33)		Pushpa Kamal Dahal (born 1954) MP for Gorkha 2 3rd time	26 December 2022	15 July 2024	1 year, 202 days	2022	Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)	Dahal III	Ram Chandra Poudel President Ram Chandra Poudel (2023–present)
	(38)		KP Sharma Oli (born 1952) MP for Jhapa 5 4th time	15 July 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 51 days		Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)	Oli IV

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