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Over Half Nepalese Live Under Poverty Line: Report
As much as 53 percent of the population in Nepal are living below the poverty line if the international norm of one dollar per person per day is considered, according to a recent report by the Nepali National Planning Commission.
The report, available on Thursday, said 44 percent of people of the rural areas and 23 of those in urban areas are below the poverty line, indicating that the people of the rural areas where 85 percent of the population live are more affected by poverty as compared to their urban counterparts.
The people of the eastern and central regions are comparatively less poor than those of the western and far-western regions and poverty is greater among the oppressed and indigenous people, said the report.
While the percent of literacy is 47 percent among the so- called upper castes, and 18 percent among the poor, life expectancy among the upper castes is 57 percent and only 51 among the oppressed, it said.
The report said though there is lack of infrastructure for the entire Nepalese, the situation is even worse for the poorest. While only 15 percent of the population has electricity, the poor account for only 3 percent among them.
As one of the least developed countries in the world, Nepal occupies 144th position among the 174 nations in the world in the human development index based mainly on income, literacy and life expectancy.
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