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Nepal Provincial Socio-Economic Dashboard

Data Sources: National Housing & Population Census (NHPC) 2021  |  Provincial GDP, FY 2023/24 — National Statistical Office (NSO), Nepal Copyright : METC LLC (www.mallaET.com)

Section 1

Population Overview

Total population, geographic distribution across Urban/Rural and Mountain/Hill/Tarai zones, and population density by province. Data: NHPC 2021.

Total Population
29.2M
All 7 provinces combined
Total Households
5.7M
Avg. size 4.5 persons/HH
Most Populous
Bagmati
6.12M & 301/km² density
Highest Per Capita GDP
Bagmati
NRs 332K — 2.8× Madhesh
Services Dominance
>50%
VA share in all 7 provinces
Population by Province
Total population (million) — sorted descending
Population: Koshi 4.96, Madhesh 6.11, Bagmati 6.12, Gandaki 2.47, Lumbini 5.12, Karnali 1.69, Sudurpaschim 2.69 million.
Population Density (persons/km²)
Madhesh has 10× the density of Karnali
Density: Koshi 192, Madhesh 630, Bagmati 301, Gandaki 115, Lumbini 230, Karnali 60, Sudurpaschim 138.
Urban vs Rural Population
Share of urban (blue), rural (green), institutional (grey) population
Geographic Zone: Mountain / Hill / Tarai
100% stacked — Madhesh is 100% Tarai; Karnali has no Tarai zone
Mountain Hill Tarai
Density Extremes
Madhesh (630/km²) is 10× denser than Karnali (60/km²). Identical service delivery models cannot work across these realities — per-capita cost models must adjust for density and geography.
Geographic Zone & Development
Madhesh is 100% Tarai; Bagmati is ~79% Hill. Geographic zone determines access to roads, markets, and services — driving divergent development trajectories across provinces.
Section 2

Household Structure & Housing Quality

Household size by urban/rural/geographic zone and construction material used for walls and roofs. Data: NHPC 2021.

Average Household Size by Province
Total, Urban, Rural compared. Dashed line = national average (4.5 persons)
Household sizes by province with urban rural breakdown.
Wall Construction Material
Mud-bonded (traditional) vs cement-bonded brick walls (% of households)
Mud bonded Cement bonded
Housing Quality Heatmap — Wall & Roof Materials (% of households)
Darker = higher share. Click column header to sort.
Province Mud Wall % Cement Wall % Cement Roof % Tile Roof %
Housing Vulnerability
Karnali has 80% mud-bonded brick walls — the highest in Nepal — versus Bagmati's 74% cement-bonded. This signals extreme vulnerability to seismic and climate-related structural risk.
Household Size & Poverty Signal
Madhesh has the largest average household size (5.3 persons) and the lowest per capita GDP. Large household size correlates with higher dependency ratios and elevated poverty risk.
Section 3

Energy Access — Cooking & Lighting

Primary fuel type for cooking and lighting by province. Highlights energy poverty, clean energy transition, and off-grid solar adoption. Data: NHPC 2021.

Cooking Fuel Mix by Province (% of households, primary fuel)
100% stacked — fuelwood (polluting) vs LPG/electricity/biogas (clean). Clean cooking score = LPG + Electricity + Biogas.
Fuelwood LPG Electricity Animal dung Biogas Kerosene Others
Clean vs Polluting Cooking
Green = clean (LPG+Elec+Biogas), Red = polluting (Fuelwood+Dung+Kerosene). Sorted by clean %.
Lighting Source by Province
Grid electricity (blue), solar (gold), kerosene+others (red). Line = 80% grid benchmark.
Grid Solar Kerosene+Others
Energy Poverty in Karnali
Karnali has the lowest grid electricity access (49.6%) and highest fuelwood use (82.2%). This double energy burden makes Karnali the top clean energy policy priority in Nepal.
Solar as Off-Grid Lifeline
In Karnali, 47.9% of households rely on solar — the highest in Nepal — demonstrating the critical role of decentralized renewables where grid extension is economically unviable.
Clean Cooking Gradient
A steep geographic gradient: Bagmati (70% LPG) leads; Sudurpaschim (70% fuelwood) and Karnali (82% fuelwood) remain heavily biomass-dependent.
Policy Benchmark
Only Bagmati (71%) and Gandaki (53%) exceed 50% clean cooking access. The remaining 5 provinces require targeted LPG subsidy and clean energy infrastructure programs.
Section 4

Economic Structure & Per Capita Income

Provincial Value Added by sector (Agriculture, Industry, Services), per capita GDP, and gross economic size. Data: Provincial GDP FY 2023/24, NSO.

Per Capita GDP by Province (NRs thousand)
Sorted descending. Dashed line = national average. Color = income level.
Sectoral Value Added Composition (%)
Agriculture (green), Industry (steel blue), Services (purple). Sorted by Services VA share.
Agriculture Industry Services
Per Capita GDP vs Clean Cooking Access — Correlation Scatter
Each bubble = 1 province. Size = Gross VA (economic weight). Color intensity = Services VA share. Trend line shows income-energy link.
Bubble size = Gross VA (billion NRs)  ·  Positive correlation: higher income → more clean cooking access
Sharpest Spatial Inequality
Bagmati's per capita GDP (NRs 332K) is 2.8× that of Madhesh (NRs 119K), despite similar total populations of ~6.1M. This reflects Kathmandu Valley's concentration of high-value services.
Services Dominance Without Transformation
Services account for >50% of VA in every province, yet per capita GDPs differ by up to 3×. This signals massive productivity differentials — likely formal vs informal sector divides.
Section 5

Asset Ownership & Living Standards

Household ownership of key assets and appliances — a proxy for consumer welfare and income-level disparities across provinces. Data: NHPC 2021.

Asset Ownership Radar — Province Comparison
8 key assets. Click province chips to show/hide.
Selected Asset Ownership by Province (%)
TV, refrigerator, computer, and fan ownership rates
Full Asset Ownership Heatmap (% of households)
Darker = higher ownership. Sorted by total welfare score (Bagmati highest).
ProvinceTVComputerCarMotorcycleCycleFanFridgeWashing M.AC
Welfare Gap is Stark
Bagmati leads in computer ownership (30%), car (6.4%), fridge (36%), and washing machine (11%). Karnali trails on every metric — fan ownership just 12% vs 79% in Madhesh.
Cycle Ownership Anomaly
Cycle ownership peaks in Madhesh (67%) and Lumbini (46%) — reflecting flat Tarai terrain. In hilly Bagmati, it drops to just 15%. Geography shapes transport behavior as much as income.