Nepal's population witnesses lowest growth rate in eight decades: Report

Kathmandu: Nepal's population growth rate stood at 0.92 per cent per annum in the past one decade, the lowest in the last eight decades, according to an official.

Unveiling its report on demographic indicators on Sunday, the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that the population growth rate was less than 1 per cent per year during the review period.

"The population growth was at the lowest level compared to the statistics of the last eight decades," said Dhundi Raj Lamichhane, director at the NSO.

According to the NSO report, Nepal's population is around 29.2 million at present.

During mid-April 2011 and mid-April 2021, Nepal’s population grew by 2.7 million.

Similarly, the national average life expectancy of the country has reached 71.3 years - female life expectancy is 73.8 years while male life expectancy stands at 68.2 years, according to the new data.

The NSO records show that average life expectancy of Nepalis increased by 21.5 years in the past four decades.

Region-wise, people living in Karnali Province have a life expectancy of 72.5 years, the highest of all. Lumbini Province has the lowest life expectancy of 69.5 years.

Similarly, Nepal’s infant mortality has improved significantly at present.

In 2021, the infant mortality rate went down to 17 per 1,000. The figure was 40 per 1,000 babies in 2011.

The reproductive rate has reduced to 1.94 children per woman, which is less than the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. The average age of giving birth by a woman is 26.9 years in Karnali Province, while it is 28.4 years in Bagmati Province.

Nepal has been conducting the national census since 1911 every 10 years.