Nepal Next · The Nation · देश
The complete picture
of the state
Every megaproject. Every loan. Every donor. The contractor who promised the work, the deadline they missed, the price overrun, and the publisher we verified it against. Where Nepal was, where it is, where it is heading — on one page.
3
Megaprojects tracked
1
Currently delayed
2
Completed late
0
On track
Section 1
Megaprojects
Each card shows the contractor, the deadline they promised, what they actually delivered, and the publisher we verified it against.
Water
Melamchi Water Supply Project
मेलम्ची खानेपानी आयोजना
23 years from approval to first drop of water. 14 years past the original deadline.
Cost
USD 700.00M
+51% overrun
Delay
14 yr
2007
Funder
Asian Development
mixed
2 contractors · Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB)
OpenAviation
Pokhara Regional International Airport
पोखरा क्षेत्रीय अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल
USD 215.96M Chinese loan. Built. Opened. China still does not fly there.
Cost
USD 215.96M
0% overrun
Delay
2 yr
2021-07
Funder
Export-Import Bank
loan
1 contractor · Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
OpenAviation
Gautam Buddha International Airport, Bhairahawa
गौतम बुद्ध अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल, भैरहवा
USD 95.95M ADB-led build. Opened five years late. Mostly empty.
Cost
USD 95.95M
+26% overrun
Delay
5 yr
2017
Funder
Asian Development
loan
1 contractor · Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
OpenPhase 1 slice — 3 fully-cited projects. The next slice adds 12 more (Sikta, Bheri-Babai, Upper Tamakoshi, Kathmandu–Tarai Fast Track, West Seti, Budhi Gandaki, Nijgadh, Mid-Hill Highway, Postal Highway, Outer Ring Road, Bagmati Corridor, Melamchi II).
Section 2
Foreign aid — who is giving Nepal what
Donor by donor: portfolio size, sectors, posture. Verified from MoF AMIS, PDMO bulletins, and the donor's own country page.
Multilateral · ADB
Asian Development Bank
एसियाली विकास बैंक
Nepal's largest active multilateral creditor and donor. Energy and transport-heavy portfolio.
Active portfolio
USD 3.5B
as of 2025-01-31
Modality
Loans + grants
since 1966
Top sector
Energy
+5 more
4 notable projects
OpenMultilateral · WBG
World Bank Group (IDA + IFC)
विश्व बैंक समूह
Concessional IDA financing across power, roads, health, education — close second to ADB.
Active portfolio
USD 3.0B
as of 2025-01-31
Modality
Loans + grants
since 1969
Top sector
Energy
+5 more
4 notable projects
OpenBilateral · IND
Republic of India
भारत
Longest-running bilateral partner. Power, petroleum and connectivity define the modern relationship.
Active portfolio
USD 1.5B
as of 2024-12-31
Modality
Loans + grants
since 1951
Top sector
Power & transmission
+5 more
4 notable projects
OpenBilateral · JPN
Japan (JICA)
जापान (जेआईसीए)
Long-term, deeply concessional partner — quietly the most consistent bilateral donor.
Active portfolio
USD 1.0B
as of 2024-12-31
Modality
Loans + grants
since 1969
Top sector
Transport
+4 more
4 notable projects
OpenBilateral · CHN
People's Republic of China
चीन (जनगणतन्त्र)
Strategically scaling. Pokhara airport loan and BRI MoU define the current arc.
Active portfolio
USD 350M
as of 2024-12-31
Modality
Loans + grants
since 1955
Top sector
Aviation infrastructure
+3 more
3 notable projects
OpenBilateral · USA
United States (USAID)
संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका (USAID)
Major bilateral grant donor for 70+ years — programmes suspended February 2025.
Active portfolio
—
Modality
Grants
since 1951
Top sector
Governance
+4 more
4 notable projects
OpenTop six bilateral and multilateral partners. The next slice adds AIIB, FCDO (UK), EU, SDC (Switzerland), KOICA (Korea), Germany (KfW/GIZ), Saudi Fund, Kuwait Fund, and UN agencies.
Section 3
Public debt — who Nepal owes, and what it bought
External loans by lender: outstanding, terms, currency, what the money built. Sourced from MoF Public Debt Management Office quarterly bulletins.
Nepal's total public debt · FY 2024/25 estimate
Total public debt
Rs 2660B
NPR billion
External debt
Rs 1360B
owed abroad
Domestic debt
Rs 1300B
owed at home
Debt to GDP
45%
ratio
Source: Ministry of Finance Nepal — Public Debt Management Office · checked 2025-01-15
Multilateral · WB
World Bank (IDA)
विश्व बैंक (IDA)
Nepal's largest external creditor. Deeply concessional — almost a grant in present-value terms.
Outstanding
USD 2.90B
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
SDR
Major loans
4
cited
0.75–1.25% service charge · 38-year maturity · 6-year grace
Multilateral · ADB
Asian Development Bank
एसियाली विकास बैंक
Close second to the World Bank. Energy and transport heavy. USD-denominated.
Outstanding
USD 2.70B
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
USD
FX risk
Major loans
4
cited
Concessional (1% interest, 32-year maturity, 8-year grace) for OCR; near-grant for ADF
Bilateral · JPN
Japan (JICA)
जापान (जेआईसीए)
Lowest-interest external debt Nepal carries. JPY exposure is the trade-off.
Outstanding
USD 800M
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
JPY
FX risk
Major loans
4
cited
0.01-0.30% interest · 40-year maturity · 10-year grace
Bilateral · IND
India EXIM Bank (Lines of Credit)
भारत निर्यात-आयात बैंक
Lines-of-credit framework. Power transmission, roads, petroleum infrastructure.
Outstanding
USD 700M
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
USD
FX risk
Major loans
3
cited
LoC framework: 1.75% interest · 20-year maturity · 5-year grace
Multilateral · AIIB
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
एसियाली पूर्वाधार लगानी बैंक
Fast-growing creditor since 2017. Infrastructure-heavy. USD-denominated.
Outstanding
USD 350M
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
USD
FX risk
Major loans
3
cited
Concessional and ordinary blend; market-linked spread above SOFR for non-concessional
Bilateral · CHN
Export-Import Bank of China
चीनको निर्यात-आयात बैंक
Small share of debt by stock. Disproportionate political weight via single large projects.
Outstanding
USD 280M
as of FY 2024/25
Currency
USD
FX risk
Major loans
2
cited
Mixed: 25% interest-free + 75% at 2% (Pokhara airport profile); 20-year term, 7-year grace
Top six external creditors by stock. Together they hold roughly 78% of Nepal's external debt. The next slice adds IMF facilities, IFAD, Saudi Fund, Kuwait Fund, OPEC Fund and the residual bilateral set.
Section 4
Contractor ledger — track record, ownership, conflicts of interest
Every government contractor: projects awarded, completion record, blacklist history, ownership, documented political ties. Only public-record facts — no inference.
Domestic · Nepal
Pappu Construction Pvt. Ltd.
पप्पु कन्ट्रक्सन प्रा.लि.
PPMO-blacklisted following the Tinau bridge case. Chairman is a former Member of Parliament.
Projects cited
2
since 1996
Public-record concerns
3
see drill-down
Political ties
Documented
cited
Nepal
OpenDomestic · Nepal
Kalika Construction Pvt. Ltd.
कालिका कन्स्ट्रक्सन प्रा.लि.
Active, large-volume domestic road and tunnel contractor. OAGN findings on delay and overrun.
Projects cited
2
since 1989
Public-record concerns
1
see drill-down
Political ties
None cited
Nepal
OpenDomestic · Nepal
Sharma & Company Pvt. Ltd.
Long-active domestic contractor across roads, hydropower, irrigation. OAGN findings on delay.
Projects cited
1
since 1980s
Public-record concerns
1
see drill-down
Political ties
None cited
Nepal
OpenInternational · China
CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd.
EPC contractor for Pokhara Regional International Airport. Built it; the airport is underutilised.
Projects cited
1
since 2016
Public-record concerns
0
none cited
Political ties
None cited
China
OpenInternational · China
China Railway 15 Bureau Group
Picked up Melamchi tunnel completion after CMC walked off. Delivered.
Projects cited
1
since 2019
Public-record concerns
0
none cited
Political ties
None cited
China
OpenInternational · Italy
CMC di Ravenna
Walked off the Melamchi tunnel site in December 2018 with the job ~93% done. Italian restructuring followed.
Projects cited
1
since 2013
Public-record concerns
1
see drill-down
Political ties
None cited
Italy
OpenPhase 2 slice — 6 contractors, three domestic and three international, with documented public-record citations. The next slice expands the ledger to all contractors with active federal awards above NPR 100 million, with completion-rate and overrun statistics computed from PPMO e-GP records.
Method
How we verify every value on this page
Primary source only
Every value traces to an OAGN paragraph, a PPMO contract record, an MoF AMIS export, an ADB or World Bank project report, or a CAAN release. Never a secondary news article.
Two-source cross-check
Each headline number is independently verified against a second primary source before publish. Where sources conflict, both values are shown with citations — we do not pick silently.
Daily re-verification
Every cited source is automatically re-fetched on a daily schedule, content-hashed, and drift is flagged for editor review. Broken links and changed numbers surface in hours, not months. Headline claims face a separate weekly adversarial review.
PENDING over guess
Where a value cannot be cited, the page shows PENDING — never a national-average estimate or a plausible-sounding figure. Trust before completeness.