Nepal has a long history of extreme poverty and under-development, and faces significant social, economic and political challenges. A relatively small, landlocked nation of over 27 million people sandwiched between India and China, Nepal is a complex society vulnerable to a range of internal and external forces that are dominated by dynamics of conflict, elite capture of decision-making and disproportionate distribution of wealth. While the central region around the capital, Kathmandu, displays a basic level of development, the more distant, rural regions host very poor populations suffering from significant social exclusion and negligible infrastructure.
Nepal's half the population live below the poverty line, and about one third of the population lives without clear water. These are people who do not have access to basic needs such as food, health and education. Half the children are malnourished and under weight. Half the people are jobless in Nepal. Average income of Nepal is less than $200 a year. About 15% of the Nepalese have access to health services. Nearly half the children's in Nepal are under weight. Nepal's most of the poor people live in rural areas yet still a huge percentage of poor people struggle in cities trying to make ends meet. About 80% of Nepalese are farmers.
Life in Villages: Youth have left their homes or have joined the rebels or have been killed in the civil war between the rebels and the government. Most villages are empty, what ever they have are the old and sick parents unable to make it to the city, and trying to survive the best they can. Kids spend most of their daily life doing house-hold works. Because of the civil war, Nepal's beautiful villages with magnificent mountains and landscape are as empty as ghost town.
Life in cities : Those flocked to the cities without financial support end up begging on the streets or find job as a servant taking upon house-hold works of a family in return for food and a shelter. Most poor people including kids in cities work as a servant, dishwasher, bus conductor, porter, painter, waiter/server, and helper in many construction works such as house construction. Those with a little bit of financial support from parents will try to get a job while going to a government college. Most students living in cities like Kathmandu work while they study. In city, living cost is extremely high, and poor to mid-class family struggle to pay off bills such as house rent, food, transportation, phone, water, and electricity. The most popular business in city is opening a convenient shop, easy to start - rent a room, pack it with groceries, and open it. The second most popular business is building a house with lots of rooms for rent - in fact people build their houses with extra rooms for others to rent.
Nepal Poverty Facts :
- Most Nepalese live on a $1 day or less!
- Nepal is the poorest country in Asia. Country's 10% of the population takes 50% of the wealth, the bottom 40% takes 10%
- 85% of Nepalese don't have health access
- World's 48th poorest country is Nepal
- Total Debt of the country * External $2.55 Billion, about $97 per person
- Nepalese rural people are poor due to lack of access to resources, low-productivity land, roads to obtain agriculture inputs and to sell agriculture produce
- Nepal's many of the social indicators are the lowest in South Asia
- Nepal's population will be 48 million by 2030
- Did you know that? Rain is very important to Nepal's economy. Country's 80% of people are into agriculture. Often when there is no rain farmers worship the Lord Indra - the mythical Hindu god of rain.
- Maoist's bandhs have kept much of Nepal’s countryside paralyzed, causing severe poverty and hardship