Here’s the complete list of every Prime Minister of Nepal, from the earliest chief ministers through the present, in full:
Nepal’s chief-ministerial line began with Shah-era administrators Vamsharaj Pande and Swaroop Singh Karki (Dewan, c.1776–1779), followed by Mulkajis Abhiman Singh Basnyat (1785–1794), Kirtiman Singh Basnyat (1794–1801), and Damodar Pande (1801–1804); then came the Mukhtiyars Bhimsen Thapa (1806–1837, the longest-serving of the pre-Rana era), Rana Jang Pande (1837–1840), Ranga Nath Poudyal, and Fateh Jung Shah (1840–1843, 1845–1846), with Mathabar Singh Thapa (1843–1845) becoming the first to formally hold the title “Prime Minister.” The Kot Massacre of 1846 brought Jung Bahadur Rana to power, founding the hereditary Rana dynasty, whose prime ministers were, in order: Jung Bahadur Rana (1846–1877), Ranodip Singh Kunwar (1877–1885), Bir Shumsher (1885–1901), Dev Shumsher (1901), Chandra Shumsher (1901–1929), Bhim Shumsher (1929–1932), Juddha Shumsher (1932–1945), Padma Shumsher (1945–1948), and Mohan Shumsher (1948–1951), the last Rana PM. After the 1951 revolution, Matrika Prasad Koirala (1951–1952, 1953–1955) became the first commoner PM, interrupted briefly by King Tribhuvan’s direct rule (1952–1953), followed by Tanka Prasad Acharya (1956–1957), Kunwar Inderjit Singh (1957–1958), Subarna Shamsher Rana (1958–1959), and B.P. Koirala (1959–1960), Nepal’s first democratically elected PM, whose ouster in King Mahendra’s 1960 coup ushered in the Panchayat era under Tulsi Giri (1960–1963, 1964–1965, 1975–1977), Surya Bahadur Thapa (1963–1964, 1965–1969, 1979–1983, 1997–1998, 2003–2004), Kirti Nidhi Bista (1969–1970, 1971–1973, 1977–1979), Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari (1970–1971), Nagendra Prasad Rijal (1973–1975, 1986), Lokendra Bahadur Chand (1983–1986, 1990, 1997, 2002–2003), and Marich Man Singh Shrestha (1986–1990). The 1990 Jana Andolan restored multi-party democracy under Krishna Prasad Bhattarai (1990–1991, 1999–2000), Girija Prasad Koirala (1991–1994, 1998–1999, 2000–2001, 2006–2008), Man Mohan Adhikari (1994–1995, the first communist PM), and five terms of Sher Bahadur Deuba (1995–1997, 2001–2002, 2004–2005, 2017–2018, 2021–2022), interrupted by King Gyanendra’s direct rule (2005–2006). After the monarchy’s 2008 abolition came Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” (2008–2009, 2016–2017, 2022–2024), Madhav Kumar Nepal (2009–2011), Jhala Nath Khanal (2011), Baburam Bhattarai (2011–2013), interim PM Khil Raj Regmi (2013–2014), Sushil Koirala (2014–2015), and three terms of K.P. Sharma Oli (2015–2016, 2018–2021, 2024–2025) under the current 2015 constitution. Oli’s resignation amid the 2025 Gen Z protests brought interim PM Sushila Karki (2025–2026), Nepal’s first woman prime minister, and finally Balendra Shah, sworn in on March 27, 2026 as the country’s 47th and current prime minister, the world’s youngest sitting head of government at age 36.
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