Nepal

Nepal
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	110th best
Capital	Kathmandu
Land Area	143 350km21
Location	Asia
Population	28.1m2
Life Expectancy	68.45yrs (2017)3
GNI	$3 877 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	NP, NPL, 5245
Internet Domain	.np6
Currency	Rupee (NPR)7
Telephone	+9778

1. Overview
2. Nepal National and Social Development
3. Nepal's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Nepal's Health
6. Nepal's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Nepal's Modernity and Learning
8. Nepal's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

“In 1951, the Nepali 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. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing 10-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. Following a nationwide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The CA elected the country's first president in July. Between 2008 and 2011 there have been four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist. In August 2011, Baburam BHATTARAI of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoaist) became prime minister. After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline, BHATTARAI dissolved the CA and called for new elections. Months of negotiations failed to produce a new election date. Finally, in March of 2013, the chief justice of Nepal's Supreme Court, Khil Raj REGMI, was sworn in as Chairman of the Interim Council of Ministers for Elections to lead an interim government and charged with holding Constituent Assembly elections by December 2013.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Wedged between the high wall of the Himalaya and the steamy jungles of the Indian plains, Nepal is a land of snowy peaks and Sherpas, yaks and yetis, monasteries and mantras. Ever since Nepal first opened its borders to outsiders in the 1950s, this tiny mountain nation has had an irresistible mystical allure for travellers. Today, legions of trekkers are drawn to the Himalaya´s most iconic and accessible hiking, some of the world´s best, with rugged trails to Everest, the Annapurnas and beyond. Nowhere else can you trek for days or even weeks in incredible mountain scenery, secure in the knowledge that a hot meal, cosy lodge and warm slice of apple pie await you at the end of the day. Nepal is nirvana for mountain lovers.

Other travellers prefer to see Nepal at a more gentle pace, admiring the peaks over a gin and tonic from a Himalayan viewpoint, strolling through the temple-lined medieval city squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and joining Buddhist pilgrims on a spiritual stroll around centuries-old stupas and temples that lie scattered across the Kathmandu Valley.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Nepal National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
140=	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.607
140=	Laos	0.607
140=	Vanuatu	0.607
143	Nepal	0.602
144	Swaziland	0.597
145	Equatorial Guinea	0.596
146=	Cambodia	0.593
146=	Zimbabwe	0.593
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
151	Kiribati	$4 063
152	Sao Tome & Principe	$4 021
153	Papua New Guinea	$4 009
154	Nepal	$3 877
155	Myanmar	$3 851
156	Zimbabwe	$3 810
157	Micronesia	$3 696
158	Cameroon	$3 621
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	28.1
2	Norway	31.2
3	Switzerland	32.9
	...
107	Brunei	91.2
108	Ghana	93.2
109	Guatemala	93.3
110	Nepal	93.7
111	Paraguay	94.4
112	Lebanon	94.6
113	Botswana	94.9
114	Azerbaijan	95.7
	Asia Avg	92.0
	World Avg	88.7
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Nepal's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Nepal's population is predicted to rise to 39.94 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.01. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
47	Mozambique	29.5m
48	Venezuela	28.9m
49	Yemen	28.5m
50	Nepal	28.1m
51	Madagascar	26.3m
52	N. Korea	25.5m
53	Cameroon	25.2m
54	Ivory Coast	25.1m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
128	Turkmenistan	69.3
129	Guatemala	69.2
130	Moldova	68.8
131	Nepal	68.4
132	Laos	68.1
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
134	Sao Tome & Principe	67.6
135	Indonesia	67.6
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
4	India	2.01
5	Belize	1.99
6	Grenada	1.99
7	New Caledonia	2.02
8	Sri Lanka	1.97
9	Faroe Islands	2.05
10	Bangladesh	1.95
11	Vietnam	1.94
12	Georgia	2.06
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
73	Libya	10.5
74=	S. Africa	10.5
75	Bangladesh	10.6
76=	Nepal	10.8
76=	Bhutan	10.8
76=	Micronesia	10.8
79	Honduras	11.0
80=	Turkmenistan	11.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
134	Sudan	1.8%
135	Albania	1.8%
136	Pakistan	1.7%
137	Nepal	1.7%
138	Poland	1.7%
139	Senegal	1.7%
140	Comoros	1.5%
141	Fiji	1.5%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
135	Algeria	3.4%
136	Sweden	3.4%
137	Ghana	3.4%
138	Nepal	3.3%
139	Bangladesh	3.3%
140	Botswana	3.2%
141	Spain	3.0%
142	Central African Rep.	2.9%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #nepal #nepal_human_rights #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
110	Belarus	95.7
111	Kyrgyzstan	96.7
112	Russia	96.8
113	Nepal	96.9
114	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	98.1
115	Vanuatu	98.7
	Asia Avg	103.00
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Nepal is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Nepal does better than average when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉, freethought₂₀, LGBT equality₂₁, supporting press freedom₂₂ and in its average Freedom in the World rating. But, there's bad news too. Nepal does worse than average when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₃ (still good for Asia), eliminating modern slavery₂₄, opposing gender inequality₂₅ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₆.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Nepal

5. Nepal's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #nepal #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Asia (2025)27
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank27
1	Japan	34.5
2	Singapore	40.8
3	Hong Kong	47.0
	...
37	Myanmar	104.2
38	Bangladesh	107.6
39	Mongolia	109.1
40	Nepal	111.4
41	Jordan	111.7
42	Tajikistan	116.8
43	Syria	119.3
44	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	120.0
45	Pakistan	123.8
	Asia Avg	80.90
q=50.

Health (2025)27
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank27
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
127	Mongolia	109.1
128	Puerto Rico	109.9
129	Suriname	110.1
130	Nepal	111.4
131	Jordan	111.7
132	Honduras	112.1
133	Sao Tome & Principe	113.0
134	Guatemala	113.2
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₂₈. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₂₈.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₈, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₂₈.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Nepal does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Nepal comes in the best 20 in terms of its fertility rate₁₄ (the lowest in Asia) and in the prevalence of overweight adults₂₉ (one of the best in Asia). It does better than average in its alcohol consumption rate₃₀. But, there's bad news too. Nepal does worse than average in terms of its immunizations take-up₃₁, its smoking rate₃₂, its average life expectancy₁₁, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₃₃ and in its adolescent birth rate₃₄ (amongst the worst in Asia). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Nepal improved by +14.7yrs in the 30 years from 1990, almost double the global average of +7.9yrs. Nepal's peak fertility rate was 6.08 in 1962.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
128	Turkmenistan	69.3
129	Guatemala	69.2
130	Moldova	68.8
131	Nepal	68.4
132	Laos	68.1
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
134	Sao Tome & Principe	67.6
135	Indonesia	67.6
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better30
Pos.		2016 Per Capita30
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
40=	Tunisia	1.9
40=	Bahrain	1.9
42	Qatar	2.0
43=	Nepal	2.0
43=	Singapore	2.0
43=	Turkey	2.0
46	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.1
47	Mozambique	2.4
	Asia Avg	3.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
4	India	2.01
5	Belize	1.99
6	Grenada	1.99
7	New Caledonia	2.02
8	Sri Lanka	1.97
9	Faroe Islands	2.05
10	Bangladesh	1.95
11	Vietnam	1.94
12	Georgia	2.06
	Asia Avg	2.17
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better32
Pos.		Total %32
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
126	Kyrgyzstan	27.3%
127	Fiji	27.6%
128	Estonia	28.3%
129	Nepal	28.4%
130	Spain	28.5%
131	Chile	28.8%
132	Russia	29.2%
133	Mongolia	29.6%
	Asia Avg	22.8%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

In the 2000s, Nepal was one of only 8 countries that had an average smoking rate of over 50% of the population. It improved more than any other country during the 2010s (16% of population stopped smoking), which another 12% stopping (so far) in the 2020s.

Overweight Adults Lower is better29
Pos.		1976 %29
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
4	India	5.5
5	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	5.7
6	Cambodia	5.9
7	Laos	6.2
8=	Bhutan	6.3
8=	Afghanistan	6.3
10	Indonesia	6.6
11	Burkina Faso	6.8
12	Maldives	7.2
	Asia Avg	23.1
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better35
Pos.		2022 %35
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
14	Burkina Faso	6.1%
15	Malawi	6.4%
16	Sierra Leone	6.5%
17	Nepal	6.6%
18	S. Korea	6.7%
19	Uganda	6.9%
20	India	7.2%
21	Myanmar	7.5%
	Asia Avg	21.1%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better34
Pos.		2022 Per 100034
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
145	Guatemala	63.2
146	Vanuatu	63.2
147	Dominican Rep.	63.2
148	Nepal	63.4
149	Ghana	63.4
150	Eritrea	63.6
151	Senegal	64.6
152	Guyana	64.6
	Asia Avg	25.9
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better31
Pos.		2015 Avg %31
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
116	Trinidad & Tobago	91.4
117	Jamaica	90.9
118	Burkina Faso	90.6
119	Nepal	90.1
120	Montenegro	89.9
121	Zimbabwe	89.7
122	Senegal	89.5
123	Peru	89.3
	Asia Avg	90.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better33
Pos.		Total Per 100033
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
135	Cambodia	33.56
136	Dominican Rep.	34.90
137	Marshall Islands	35.97
138	Nepal	39.44
139	S. Africa	39.83
140	Bangladesh	40.07
141	Turkmenistan	43.08
142	Gabon	45.25
	Asia Avg	23.58
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

Nepal was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19); in the 2000s it was still amongst only 37 countries that fell into the same grouping, although each decade things are getting better.

6. Nepal's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #Nepal #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Asia (2025)36
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank36
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Nepal	47.9
3	India	49.5
4	Philippines	49.6
5	Japan	57.4
6	Thailand	59.5
7	Vietnam	60.6
8	Indonesia	61.9
9	Jordan	63.1
10	Hong Kong	64.6
11	Cyprus	64.8
12	Bangladesh	69.7
13	Maldives	70.5
	Asia Avg	86.44
q=51.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)36
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank36
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
4	Morocco	46.5
5	Puerto Rico	47.1
6	Burundi	47.8
7	Nepal	47.9
8	India	49.5
9	Philippines	49.6
10	Costa Rica	49.7
11	Denmark	50.4
12	Mali	51.0
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₃₇. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Nepal is 7th-best in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment (one of the lowest in Asia). This rank is computed from 21 data sets. Nepal does better than average in energy to GDP efficiency₃₈, reducing annual meat consumption per person₃₉, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₀ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Nepal doesn't do so well in other areas. Nepal does worse than average for its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₁. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in its environmental performance₄₂ (one of the worst in Asia).

Environmental Performance Higher is better42
Pos.		201842
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
173	Lesotho	33.8
174	Haiti	33.7
175	Madagascar	33.7
176	Nepal	31.4
177	India	30.6
178	Congo, DR	30.4
179	Bangladesh	29.6
180	Burundi	27.4
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better38
Pos.		2022 Avg38
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
17	Myanmar	0.53
18	Gabon	0.55
19	Switzerland	0.55
20	Nepal	0.55
21	Burkina Faso	0.55
22	Gambia	0.55
23	Philippines	0.57
24	Cameroon	0.57
	Asia Avg	1.50
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
44	Kenya	68%
45	Senegal	67%
46	France	67%
47	Nepal	67%
48	Niger	67%
49	Pakistan	67%
50	Liechtenstein	66%
51	Gambia	66%
	Asia Avg	55.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Npeal is one of 18 countries who enacted Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in its first year (1975).

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better40
Pos.		2011 %40
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
31	Portugal	55.8%
32	Hong Kong	54.8%
33	Lebanon	54.3%
34	Nepal	52.8%
35	Chad	52.8%
36	Kenya	52.1%
37	Central African Rep.	51.9%
38	Belize	50.6%
	Asia Avg	37.9%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better39
Pos.		2021 kg39
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
27	Guinea	16.7
28	Gambia	16.7
29	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	17.2
30	Nepal	17.3
31	Solomon Islands	17.4
32	Syria	17.8
33	Yemen	17.8
34	Algeria	17.9
	Asia Avg	46.7
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Nepal's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #it_security #modernity #research #science #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)44
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank44
1	S. Korea	22.2
2	Japan	24.7
3	Israel	29.5
	...
36	Maldives	102.1
37	Turkmenistan	114.0
38	Pakistan	116.1
39	Nepal	116.8
40	Bangladesh	121.2
41	Bhutan	123.9
42	Laos	124.4
43	Iraq	124.6
44	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	125.5
	Asia Avg	78.26
q=49.

Modernity & Learning (2020)44
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank44
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
133	Swaziland	115.9
134	Pakistan	116.1
135	Zambia	116.3
136	Nepal	116.8
137	Bangladesh	121.2
138	Nicaragua	121.4
139	Guatemala	121.5
140	Guyana	122.5
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₅. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₅. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₆.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₇

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₅, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₅.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2948
2	Israel	4.1148
3	Japan	3.5848
	...
76	Ecuador	0.3449
77	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.3350
78	Iran	0.3151
79=	Nepal	0.3051
79=	Kuwait	0.3050
81	Pakistan	0.2950
82	Zambia	0.2852
83	Botswana	0.2553
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better54
Pos.		201854
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
131	Pakistan	37.2%
132	Cameroon	37.2%
133	Gambia	36.8%
134	Nepal	35.9%
135	Kenya	35.2%
136	Honduras	33.5%
137	Haiti	33.2%
138	S. Sudan	33.2%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better55
Pos.		2021 Years55
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
113	Vietnam	13.0
114	Togo	13.0
115	Bahamas	12.9
116	Nepal	12.9
117	St Lucia	12.9
118	Libya	12.9
119	Venezuela	12.8
120	Malawi	12.7
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

IQ Higher is better56
Pos.		200656
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
100	El Salvador	80
101=	Guatemala	79
101=	Sri Lanka	79
103	Nepal	78
104	Mauritania	76
105	Uganda	73
106=	Tanzania	72
106=	Kenya	72
	Asia Avg	90.4
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better57
Pos.		201657
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
157	Tajikistan	19%
158	Cameroon	18%
159	Pakistan	18%
160	Nepal	17%
161=	Mauritania	17%
161=	S. Sudan	17%
163	Gambia	17%
164	Laos	16%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IT Security Lower is better58
Pos.		201358
1=	Ireland	0.11
1=	Luxembourg	0.11
1=	Belize	0.11
	...
62	Mongolia	1.42
63	Uganda	1.44
64	Ukraine	1.44
65	Nepal	1.45
66	Afghanistan	1.45
67	Germany	1.46
68	Netherlands	1.47
69	Rwanda	1.50
	Asia Avg	1.08
	World Avg	0.98

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better59
Pos.		202459
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
102	Namibia	32.1%
103	Laos	31.5%
104	Guatemala	31.0%
105	Nepal	30.3%
106	Venezuela	30.1%
107	Zambia	30.1%
108	El Salvador	30.0%
109	Cambodia	29.4%
	Asia Avg	46.4%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Nepal's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to Asia (2020)60
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank60
1	Singapore	20.2
2	Taiwan	34.9
3	Hong Kong	40.5
	...
27	Bahrain	82.3
28	China	82.8
29	Kyrgyzstan	83.1
30	Nepal	86.6
31	Georgia	86.7
32	Palestine	86.8
33	India	87.3
34	Saudi Arabia	88.4
35	Russia	88.7
	Asia Avg	79.59
q=49.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)60
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank60
1	Denmark	12.2
2	Netherlands	14.0
3	Norway	14.1
	...
104	Ecuador	86.0
105	Peru	86.4
106	Grenada	86.6
107	Nepal	86.6
108	Georgia	86.7
109	Palestine	86.8
110	India	87.3
111	S. Africa	87.5
	World Avg	76.86
q=178.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 28 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty in the 2020s (so far), Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

On the Corruption Index, Nepal scored on average 28.6 over the 2012-2016 period. Over the 10 years since then, it improved by 5.4 points.

World Giving Index Higher is better61
Pos.		2022 %61
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
55=	Bulgaria	41.0
55=	Slovakia	41.0
55=	Germany	41.0
58	Nepal	40.0
59=	Malaysia	40.0
59=	Nicaragua	40.0
59=	Senegal	40.0
59=	Estonia	40.0
	Asia Avg	37.9
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better62
Pos.		2022 Points62
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
112	Malawi	34.0
113=	Indonesia	34.0
113=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	34.0
113=	Nepal	34.0
116	Ukraine	33.0
117=	Mongolia	33.0
117=	El Salvador	33.0
117=	Zambia	33.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better63
Pos.		2024 Score63
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
89=	Albania	5.4
89=	Tajikistan	5.4
91	Georgia	5.4
92	Nepal	5.3
93	Laos	5.3
94	Turkey	5.3
95	S. Africa	5.2
96	Mozambique	5.2
	Asia Avg	5.41
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better64
Pos.		2023 Score64
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
76	Kazakhstan	1.98
77	Jamaica	1.99
78	Bolivia	2.00
79	Nepal	2.01
80	China	2.01
81	Tunisia	2.01
82	Equatorial Guinea	2.01
83	Dominican Rep.	2.02
	Asia Avg	2.17
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better65
Pos.		2019 Score65
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
114	Russia	4.90
115	France	5.01
116	Indonesia	5.07
117	Nepal	5.09
118	Burundi	5.10
119	Palestine	5.18
120	Bangladesh	5.21
121	Saudi Arabia	5.24
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better66
Pos.		Total %66
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
59	Suriname	2.18%
60	Montenegro	2.37%
61	Paraguay	2.43%
62	Nepal	2.44%
63	Mexico	3.29%
64	Bolivia	3.35%
65	Panama	3.39%
66	Iran	3.41%
	Asia Avg	3.54%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106.

Each decade since the 1980s, Nepal has seen serious improvements to the numbers living in poverty, falling from 83% to 2.4% in the 2020s (so far, as of 2025).

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better67
Pos.		201967
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
122	Bhutan	17.10
123=	Venezuela	17.10
124	Bangladesh	17.30
125	Nepal	17.50
126	Cambodia	18.10
127	Guyana	19.00
128	S. Africa	19.20
129	Botswana	19.40
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better68
Pos.		2023 %68
1	Slovakia	24.1%69
2	Slovenia	24.3%69
3	Belarus	24.4%70
	...
31=	Pakistan	29.6%71
31=	Guinea	29.6%71
33	Sweden	29.8%69
34	Nepal	30.0%72
35	Ireland	30.1%69
36=	Fiji	30.7%73
36=	Myanmar	30.7%74
36=	Austria	30.7%69
	Asia Avg	33.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Nepal - only for 4 years between 1980 and 2019.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better75
Pos.		2018 Severity75
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
55	Zimbabwe	.137
56	Ghana	.138
57	Lesotho	.146
58	Nepal	.148
59	Cambodia	.170
60	Namibia	.171
61	Vanuatu	.174
62	Bhutan	.175
	Asia Avg	.084
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₇₆:

	2010	2020
Hindu	81.5%	81.2%
Buddhist	9.04%	8.21%
Muslim	4.4%	5.08%
Other	3.63%	3.76%
Christian	1.41%	1.76%
Unaffiliated	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	None	None

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)₇₇.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?