Nepal

Program Overview > Nepal

INTRODUCTION

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.

Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution.

Following a nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a cabinet decision to fire the chief of the army staff.

An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing ten-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution.

Note: Statistical information and copy in the Project Locations area of our website is drawn from the CIA World Factbook, 2010.

OTHER INFORMATION >Nepal

Major Infectious Diseases:

Degree of Risk: high

Food or Waterborne Diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne Disease: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever (2009)

Median age:

Total: 20.8 years (2009 est.)

Male: 19.8 years (2009 est.)

Female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)

Nationality:

Noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)

Adjective: Nepalese

Ethnic Groups: Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)

Religions: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
note: only official Hindu state in the world

Languages: Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Population:

Total: 28,563,377 (July 2009 est.)

Population Growth Rate:

Growth Rate: 1.281% (2009 est.)

Birth Rate: 23.18 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death Rate: 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate: total: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births

Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 65.46 years
male: 64.3 years
female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.)

Nepal

AT A GLANCE
Nepal

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)(2009 est.)

15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675) (2009 est.)

65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS:

Adult Prevelence Rate: 0.5% (2007 est.)

People Living with HIV/AIDS: 70,000 (2007 est.)

Deaths: 5,000 (2007 est.)

Literacy:

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Population: total: 48.6%
male: 62.7%
female: 34.9% (2001 census)