Statistical information Nepal 1999

Nepal in the World
Nepal - Introduction 1999
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocation: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map reference:
AsiaAreaTotal: 140,800 km²
Land: 136,800 km²
Water: 4,000 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundariesTotal: 2,926 km
Border countries: (2) China 1,236 km;
, India 1,690 kmCoastline: 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
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land useArable land: 17%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 15%
Forests and woodland: 42%
Other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 8,500 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
GeographyNote: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
top of pagePopulation: 24,302,653 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.51% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 42% (1995-96 est.)
NationalityNoun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
Languages: Nepali (official), 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects
Religions: Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981)
Note: only official Hindu state in the world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 41% (male 5,182,829; female 4,869,895)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,856,905; female 6,571,916)
65 years and over: 4% (male 407,797; female 413,311) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 2.51% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 35.32 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.18 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: the almost total dependence on wood for fuel and cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without replanting has resulted in widespread deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution (use of contaminated water presents human health risks)
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 73.58 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 58.42 years
Male: 58.47 years
Female: 58.36 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.78 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 27.5%
Male: 40.9%
Female: 14% (1995 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
Conventional short form: Nepal
Government type: parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
Capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural; Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Dependent areasIndependence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram
Head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15 April 1998)
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
Legislative branch: 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)
Elections: House of Representatives_last held 15 November 1994 (next to be held 3 May 1999)
Election results: House of Representatives_percent of vote by party_NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3%, NWPP 1%; seats by party_ CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (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 leadersInternational organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador THAPA Bekh Bahadur
In the us chancery: 2,131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 667-4,550
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 667-5,534
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
From the us embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [977] (1) 411,179
From the us FAX: [977] (1) 419,963
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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past three years. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.5%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating business licenses and registration requirements in order 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.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 4.9% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,100 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 41%
Industry: 22%
Services: 37% (1997)
Agriculture products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate: 14.7% (FY94/95 est.)
Labor force: 10 million (1996 est.)
Note: severe lack of skilled labor
By occupation agriculture: 81%
By occupation services: 16%
By occupation industry: 3%
Unemployment rate: NA%; substantial underemployment (1996)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: 42% (1995-96 est.)
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $536 million
Expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY96/97 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 16 July_15 July
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $394 million (f.o.b., 1997), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India
Commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
Partners: India, US, Germany, UK
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%
Partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $2.4 billion (1997)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1_67.675 (January 1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995), 49.398 (1994)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 1.032 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 3.1%
Production by source hydro: 96.9%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 1.013 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 89 million kWh (1996)
Imports: 70 million kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaNepal - Communication 1999
top of pageTelephones: 115,911 (1996 est.)
Telephone system: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service
Domestic: NA
International: radiotelephone communications; satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $44 million (FY96/97)
Percent of gdp: 0.9% (FY96/97)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsNepal - Transportation 1999
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 45 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 40
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 29 (1998 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysTotal: 101 km; note_all in Kosi close to Indian border
Narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalsNepal - Transnational issues 1999
top of pageDisputes international: with Bhutan over 91,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West