NEPAL FACTSHEET updated November 2020
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Prior to this crisis, children in Nepal faced serious obstacles in achieving their rights despite progress over the decades. More than 1 in 3 children are stunted. Under-five mortality though improving is still high at 39 per 10,000 live births. Source: UNICEF
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Nearly 10 million children are estimated to be poor and many more facing multidimensional poverty. The government has identified approximately 1.5 million households thus far as being vulnerable. This figure is already more than 1/5th of all households in Nepal suggesting that large numbers of children are also vulnerable. These risks are likely to be exacerbated as Nepal’s economy weakens from the impact of COVID-19. Source: UNICEF
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Schools in Nepal have been closed since March 19, 2020. As classes move online, it puts thousands of children, usually the poorest, excluded and in rural areas, without access to internet or with poor connectivity at huge disadvantage, further exacerbating the digital divide. Source: UNICEF
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More than two-thirds of Nepal's school children are deprived of distance learning during their school closures.
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There are more than 100 ethnic groups in Nepal, half of which are indigenous and regarded as marginalized, while 22 are classified as "extremely disadvantaged". Source: Reliefweb
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According to UNICEF’s Child and Family Tracker Survey (May 2020):
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The majority of families are borrowing or depleting their savings.
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95% of respondents reported their children had stopped going to school.
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Children in 52 % of households stopped studying during lockdown.
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Nepal’s economy is projected to grow by only 0.6 percent in 2021, inching up from an estimated 0.2 percent in 2020 as lockdowns caused by COVID-19 disrupt economic activity, especially tourism. Source: World Bank
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Informal businesses make up around 50 percent of enterprises in Nepal and are the main source of income for most of the labor force. Source: World Bank
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COVID-19 could push nearly one-third of Nepal's population below the poverty line. An estimated 31.2 percent of the Nepali population who live close to the poverty line (between 1.90 U.S. dollar a day and 3.20 U.S. dollar a day) are at high risk of falling into extreme poverty. Source: World Bank
