World view · wellbeing
Human Development Index
मानव विकास सूचकाङ्क
Nepal · 2023
0.622
Rank 145 of 193
Trajectory · 1990–2023
Human Development Index
UNDP
Linear extrapolation of the last 5-year trend — illustrative only, not a forecast.
Solid — measured history
Dashed — if current trend continues
Green dotted — reform scenario (1.5× current pace)
Honest caveat: projections are linear extrapolation of the last 5 observed years. Real-world indices change non-linearly with policy shocks, elections, and external events. This tool answers "where would this go if nothing changes?" — it is not a forecast. For real change, see the "what would move this" panel below.
Why Nepal is here
Nepal's HDI rose from 0.605 (2022) to 0.622 (2023) — a 2.8% one-year gain, lifting our rank from 146 to 145. Since 1990, the index has risen 54% — one of the world's fastest absolute improvers, driven by life expectancy and schooling. But income-per-capita drag keeps us in the "medium" band. Sri Lanka (0.785, rank 89) shows what is possible at our income level.
The short version
Nepal's health, school, and earning together get a score of 0.622 — up from 0.605 last year. We have come a long way since 1990 (0.405). But we are still 145 out of 193 countries — there is a long way to go.
Inside the score
The headline number breaks down into these sub-scores — these are the levers.
Life expectancy
0.788/1
70.5 yrs — strongest component, doubled since 1960
Mean years of schooling
0.408/1
5.1 years — weakest input; older cohorts pull the mean down
Expected years of schooling
0.762/1
13.0 years — children today start far better than their parents
GNI per capita
0.512/1
PPP$ 4,217 — income gap with Sri Lanka and Bhutan is the binding constraint
SAARC scoreboard
How Nepal compares to its neighbours on this index, latest year.
What would actually move this
Three concrete actions — each tied to where a comparable country actually moved on this metric.
- 1
Universal early-childhood nutrition (the human-capital scarring from child stunting is what holds the next generation back).
- 2
Raise secondary-school completion past 75% (currently 58%).
- 3
Productive, formal jobs at home so remittance reliance falls — HDI gains are fragile while 25%+ of GDP comes from migrant remittance.
Countries that moved — and how
Real reform episodes from countries roughly our size or context. Each shows that significant movement is possible within a decade.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
0.488 → 0.726 (1990 → 2022)
Doi Moi reforms, export-led manufacturing, near-universal secondary schooling, smart-targeted poverty programmes.
Bangladesh 🇧🇩
0.394 → 0.670 (1990 → 2022)
Female labour-force pull (RMG sector), conditional cash for girls, micro-finance ecosystem, oral rehydration solution rollout.
Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
0.625 → 0.780 (1990 → 2022)
Universal free education from 1945, free public health since independence — investment compounded.
Source · cited verbatim
UNDP — Human Development Index, 2023
Open the publisher's releaseAll values on this page are taken directly from this source. Year and confidence level is shown on each card. If you find a discrepancy with the publisher's current dataset, please report it.