Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook 2002
| Nepal |

Introduction | Nepal

Background:

In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. The refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Offices of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps.

Geography | Nepal

Location: | Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: | 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references: | Asia
Area: | total: 140,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km land: 136,800 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries: | total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked)
Climate: | varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain: | Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
Natural resources: | quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use: | arable land: 20% permanent crops: 1% other: 79% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 11,350 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environment - current issues: | deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: | landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with China

People | Nepal

Population: | 25,873,917 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 40% (male 5,346,422; female 5,007,416) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 7,476,202; female 7,125,471) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 453,263; female 465,143) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 2.29% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 32.94 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 10.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 72.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 58.61 years female: 58.2 years (2002 est.) male: 59.01 years
Total fertility rate: | 4.48 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.29% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 34,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 2,500 (1999 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups: | Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995)
Religions: | Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2% note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)
Languages: | Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 27.5% male: 40.9% female: 14% (1995 est.)

Government | Nepal

Country name: | conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal
Government type: | parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Capital: | Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: | 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence: | 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday: | Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946)
Constitution: | 9 November 1990
Legal system: | based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew, King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah)
head of government: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur DEUBA (since 22 July 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch
note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding himself; immediately following the shootings and while still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three days later and was succeeded by his uncle

Legislative branch:

note: Nepal's Parliament was dissolved on 22 May 2002 and elections are scheduled for 13 November 2002
: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1
elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held 13 November 2002)

Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; National People's Front (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Chitra Bahadur, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, acting party president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, general secretary]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
International organization participation: | AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Jai Pratap RANA chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael E. MALINOWSKI (since December 2001) embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179 FAX: [977] (1) 419963
Flag description: | red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

Economy | Nepal

Economy - overview:

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Textile and carpet production, accounteing for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in recent years, contracted significantly in 2001 due to the overall slowdown in the world economy and pressures by Maoist insurgents on factory owners and workers. Security concerns in the wake of Maoist activity, the June massacre of many members of the royal family, and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US led to a decrease in tourism, another key source of foreign exchange. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years - has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $35.6 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 41% industry: 22% services: 37% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 42% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 36.7 (1995-96)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.1% (FY00/01 est.)
Labor force: | 10 million (1996 est.) note: severe lack of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%
Unemployment rate: | 47% (2001 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $665 million expenditures: $1.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: | tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate: | 8.7% (FY99/00)
Electricity - production: | 1.454 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 9.56% hydro: 90.44% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 1.431 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: | 95 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: | 174 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: | rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Exports: | $757 million (f.o.b., FY00/01 est.), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India
Exports - commodities: | carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
Exports - partners: | India 48%, US 26%, Germany 11% (FY00/01)
Imports: | $1.6 billion (f.o.b., FY00/01 est.)
Imports - commodities: | gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer
Imports - partners: | India 39%, Singapore 10%, China/Hong Kong 9%, (FY00/01)
Debt - external: | $2.55 billion (FY00/01)
Economic aid - recipient: | $424 million (FY00/01)
Currency: | Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Currency code: | NPR
Exchange rates: | Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 76.675 (January 2002), 74.961 (2001), 71.094 (2000), 68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997)
Fiscal year: | 16 July - 15 July

Communications | Nepal

Telephones - main lines in use: | 236,816 (January 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | NA
Telephone system: | general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000)
Radios: | 840,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: | 130,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .np
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2000)
Internet users: | 50,000 (2001)

Transportation | Nepal

Railways: | total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge note: all in Kosi close to Indian border (2001)
Highways: | total: 13,223 km paved: 4,073 km unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999)
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | none
Airports: | 45 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 29 (2001)

Military | Nepal

Military branches: | Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force
Military manpower - military age: | 17 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 6,484,343 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 3,369,454 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 292,589 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $51.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1% (FY01)

Transnational Issues | Nepal

Disputes - international: | formed Joint Border committee with India in 2001 to resolve 53 disputed sections of boundary covering an area of 720 sq km; approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps, place decades-long strains on Nepal
Illicit drugs: | illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002