The number of investors in Nepal’s stock market is approaching 7 million, according to CDS and Clearing Limited. So far, 6,965,561 individuals have opened Demat accounts to invest in shares.
However, not all Demat account holders are actively trading in the secondary market. According to Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) data, 4,189,677 investors have opened trading accounts for the secondary market.
Among these:
- 2,651,020 are male investors,
- 1,528,611 are female investors, and
- 10,046 are institutional or other types of investors.
Yet, a large number of these account holders are inactive. NEPSE reports that only 1,248,855 investors are classified as active, meaning they have conducted at least one transaction in the past year.
As of the end of Jestha 2082 (mid-June 2025), the number of listed companies on the Nepal Stock Exchange reached 272, up from 270 in Jestha 2081.
The breakdown of these companies is as follows:
- 132 Banks, Financial Institutions, and Insurance Companies
- 91 Hydropower Companies
- 23 Manufacturing and Processing Industries
- 7 Hotels
- 7 Investment Companies
- 4 Trading Companies
- 8 from Other Sectors
In terms of market capitalization, the contribution of various sectors is:
- Banks, Financial Institutions & Insurance: 52.1%
- Hydropower: 16.1%
- Investment Companies: 8%
- Manufacturing & Processing: 5.5%
- Trading Companies: 5.3%
- Hotels: 2.8%
- Other sectors: 10.2%
