Size
and Growth Rate of Population of Nepal
Geographically
Nepal
is situated between China
and India.
These two neighbours are the most populous countries
in the world with both having more than one billion
people. Nepal's
population
of 23 million is very small compared to its neighbours.
Although the size of the Nepalese population
compared to its neighbours is quite small, its high
rate of population growth has been a matter of great
concern for the country.
Census
taking started in Nepal in 1911. Initial censuses
till 1952 were more or less head count based on
household level information. The first census of
Nepal (1911) yielded a population
size of 5.6 million. Since then, census
count has been conducted more or less at ten-year
intervals. In the census of 1952/54, technical assistance
in conducting the census was obtained from United
Nations and in fact this census can be regarded
as the first scientific census ever conducted in
Nepal. Because of different reasons, this census
was carried out at two points in time. For example,
eastern part of the country was enumerated in 1952,
while the western half was enumerated in 1954. Because
the enumeration was carried out in two points in
time, the 1961 census is generally accepted as the
first scientific census in terms of international
standard and comparisons.
According
to the latest census of 2001, Nepal's
population
was 23,151,423 as of June 2001. The annual average
growth rate of population during the last decade
i.e. 1991-2001 was 2.25 percent (CBS 2002). The
census also revealed that the sex ratio i.e. males
per 100 females was 99.8. In other words 49.95 percent
of the total population
was male, while the females comprised 50.05 percent
of the population.
The
total population
obtained in different censuses of Nepal, corresponding
growth rates and time to double the population have
been presented in Table 1.2.
It
should be noted that during the 2001 census, some
of the districts could not be fully covered because
of security reasons. Based on household level form
and estimation total population
of Nepal was 23,142,351. Individual information
(form-2) was filled in for only 22,736,934 individuals.
Thus detailed data are available only for this number
of persons.
Selected
Demographic Indicators of the World, 2001
| Year |
Percentage
of economically active population (activity
rates) |
| |
Male |
Female |
Total |
| 1971 |
82.9 |
35.1 |
59.3 |
| 1981 |
83.1 |
46.2 |
65.1 |
| 1991 |
68.7 |
45.5 |
57 |
| 1996 |
75.2 |
66.4 |
70.6 |
| 1998* |
73.3 |
71.3 |
72.3 |
| 2001 |
71.7 |
55.3 |
63.4 |
Population Distribution and Growth by Development
Regions (in percent) Nepal, 1971 - 2001
| Development
Region |
Population
in census years* |
Average
Annual Growth Rate |
| 1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
1971-81 |
1981-91 |
1991-01 |
| Eastern |
24.21
-2.8 |
24.69
-3.71 |
24.05
-4.45 |
23.08
-5.34 |
2.86
|
1.83
|
1.84
|
| Central |
33.45
-3.87 |
32.68
-4.91 |
33.44
-6.18 |
34.69
(8.03 |
2.42
|
2.33 |
2.61 |
| Western |
21.17
-2.45 |
20.83
-3.13 |
20.39
-3.77 |
19.74
-4.57 |
2.49
|
1.88
|
1.92
|
| Mid-West |
12.88
-1.49 |
13.02
-1.96 |
13.04
-2.41 |
13.01
-3.01 |
2.77
|
2.11
|
2.23
|
| Far-West |
8.29
-0.96 |
8.78
-1.32 |
9.08
-1.68 |
9.47
-2.19 |
3.25
|
2.44
|
2.66
|
| Total |
100
-11.56 |
100
-15.02 |
100
-18.49 |
100
-23.15 |
2.66
|
2.08
|
2.25
|
International
migration
International
migration has been further divided into two components,
viz; emigration meaning people moving out of the
country while immigration indicating foreigners
moving into the country. Below we discuss and highlight
some key findings from the 1991 census data as the
detailed data for the 2001 census is not available.
Immigration
In
the previous section it was observed that the movement
of the Nepalese population has been increasing over
the years. In a similar manner number of immigrants
to Nepal has also been increasing For example, the
census of 1981 revealed that there were 2,39,039
foreigners residing in Nepal. By the time when the
1991 census was conducted this figure reached 4,39,844,
which was an increase of 84 per cent over the 1981
figures. Among foreign immigrants in 1991 Indians
constituted about 95.0 percent. This figure increased
to 95.3 by 1996 (CDPS 1998).
Literacy
Very
few studies on literacy at the national level have
been carried out. Consequently census data are the
main source of literacy
in Nepal. In earlier censuses of Nepal, literacy
is defined as the ability to read and write. In
1991 census the definition of literacy was changed
and it included the ability to read and write with
understanding and to perform simple arithmetic calculations
(CBS, 1995). This same definition has also been
followed in the 2001 census. The literacy
rate has increased gradually over the last 45 years.
From a very low level of literacy
in 1950s, Nepal has made a substantial progress
in increasing literacy over the years. The census
of 2001 has indicated that currently the literacy
rate among the population of 6 years or older in
Nepal is 54 percent with male literacy
rate of 65 and female literacy rate of 43. Yet there
is a lot to be done to reach a universal literacy
target. For this HMG has already embarked on both
the formal and non-formal education system in Nepal.
Detailed data from the 2001 census on literacy and
education is till not available, however earlier
differentials indicated by the 1991 census are still
valid. For example, there is a wide gap in literacy
figures for rural and urban areas. Current gender
gap in literacy rate is nearly 23 percentage points
and data have indicated that the gap between male
and female literacy is decreasing.
Formal
Education
The
schooling system in Nepal has been divided in four
levels viz.; a) primary (grade I-V), b) lower secondary
(VI-VIII), c) secondary (IX-X) and d) higher education.
Education
in Nepal and primary education in particular has
developed significantly since 1971 when the New
Education Plan was introduced. In recent years the
number of primary schools increased by nearly three
fold between 1971 and 2001 (from 10,600 to 26,036).
Between 1991 and 2001, on an average more than 900
new primary schools were added each year and the
number of primary school teachers has reached nearly
100,000 in 2001.
The net enrollment rate for the primary level of
education is 80.4 percent while the rate for boys
and girls are respectively 86.0 and 74.8. The overall
drop out rate in the primary level grade 5 is around
17.7 while for the boys and girls separately are
18.4 and 16.9 respectively (MOE 2002). These data
suggest that there have been positive developments
in the enrollment at primary level as well as decrease
in dropout rates over the years.
The
lower secondary level begins at grade 6 and is completed
at grade 8. Most of the lower secondary schools
are either integrated with the primary schools or
with the secondary schools. The number of lower
secondary schools increased by nearly three times
between 1971 (2700) and 2001 (7289). On an average,
nearly 400 new Lower secondary schools were added
each year. In fact this growth in number of lower
secondary schools is a big achievement.
The
net enrollment rate in this level is 33 i.e. only
a third of school going children for this level
are attending school. Despite a large increase in
number of schools, number of children enrolled in
these schools is still low indicating a high drop
out and low percent graduating to lower secondary
schools. Like the primary level of education enrollment
for girls is nearly 11 percentage point lower than
that for boys (28% vs. 39%).
The
secondary level of education in Nepal comprises
grades 9 and 10. Like the expansion of primary and
lower secondary level schools there has been a substantial
increase at this level as well. For example, between
1971 and 2001, the number of secondary schools increased
by more than four fold, from 918 to 4350. Between
this period on an average more than 110 new secondary
schools were added each year. Because of high drop
out rates at earlier grades as well as lower promotion
rates, currently the net enrollment rate is only
20 percent. The differentials in net enrollment
rate at this level indicate that more boys are enrolled
at this level compared to girls (24 vs. 16).
Higher
secondary education, which comprises schooling at
grades 11 and 12 is a new concept in Nepal's
educational history. Approximately 65,000 students
were enrolled at more than 500 higher secondary
schools in 1999 (MOF, 2000). Although, access to
tertiary i.e. after school education has also been
expanding over the years only 0.64 percent of population
was enrolled at these levels. Corresponding figure
for women was only 0.23. Tertiary education is being
provided through the umbrella of five universities,
Tribhuvan University (TU), Mahendra Sanskrit University,
Kathmandu University, Pokhara University and Purwanchal
University. About 250 campuses are being run under
these universities.
Non-formal Education
In
order to increase the literacy
(among adults) as well as entice children to formal
schooling HMG has been implementing non-formal literacy/education
programmes. These programmes can be divided in two
categories, first, is for adults and elders and
mainly attempts to increase literacy
in this group. The second part is being implemented
for school-age children. Non-formal education programmes
for school age children focuses on out of school
children between 8 and 14 years of age. The Basic
and Primary Education Project is the main provider
of this type of education. The adult literacy programme
is much larger and under this scheme between 1992
and 2001, nearly 950 thousand people have acquired
literacy.
National
Health Policy, 1991
The Ministry of Health adopted a National Health
Policy in 1991 to bring about an improvement in
the health conditions of the people. The primary
objective of the National Health Policy is to extend
the primary health care system to the rural population
so that they benefit from modern medical facilities
and trained health care providers. The National
Health Policy (1991) addressed the health issues
in following four components a) Preventive Health
Services b) Promotive Health Services c) Curative
Health Services and d) primary Health Care Services
Second
Long Term Health Plan, 1997-2017
The Ministry of Health developed a 20-year Second
Long-Term Health Plan (SLTHP) for the period 1997-2017.
The aim of the SLTHP is to guide health sector development
in the improvement of the health of the population,
particularly those whose health needs are not often
met.
The
objectives of the SLTHP are defined by the document
are as follows:
1. To improve the health status of the population
of the most vulnerable groups, particularly those,
whose health needs are not often met-women and children,
the rural population, the poor, the underprivileged,
and the marginalized population.
2. To extend cost-effective public health measures
and essential curative services for the appropriate
treatment of common diseases and injuries to all
districts.
3. To provide the appropriate numbers, distribution
and types of technically competent and socially
responsible health personnel for quality healthcare
throughout the country, particularly in under-served
areas.
4. To improve the management and organisation of
the public health sector and to increase the efficiency
and effectiveness of the healthcare system.
5. To develop appropriate roles for NGOs, and the
public and private sectors in providing and financing
health services.
6.
To improve inter-and intra-sectoral co-ordination
and to provide the necessary conditions and support
for effective decentralisation with full community
participation.
The following targets related to reproductive health
have been set for the second long term health plan
(1997-2017):
1. To reduce the infant mortality rate to 34.4
per thousand live births;
2. To reduce the under-five mortality rate to 62.5
per thousand;
3. To reduce the total fertility rate to 3.05;
4. To increase life expectancy to 68.7 years;
5. To reduce the crude birth rate to 26.6 per thousand;
6. To reduce the crude death rate to 6 per thousand;
7. To reduce the maternal mortality rate to 250
per hundred thousand births;
8. To increase the contraceptive prevalence rate
to 58.2 percent;
9. To increase the percentage of deliveries attended
by trained personnel to 95%;
10. To increase the percentage of pregnant women
attending a minimum of four antenatal visits to
80%;
11. To reduce the percentage of iron-deficiency
anaemia among pregnant women to 15%;
12. To increase the percentage of women of child-bearing
age
(15-44)
who receive tetanus toxoid (TT2) to 90%;
13. To decrease the percentage of newborns weighing
less than 2500 grams to 12%;
Reproductive Health
ICPD
defines reproductive health as "a state of
complete physical, mental and social well being
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity in
all matters relating to the reproductive system
and to its functions and processes". The National
Reproductive Health Strategy of Nepal (adopted in
1997) includes the following elements to make integrated
reproductive health services available in the kingdom.
These include:
