Editing Nepal (section)

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Nepal}}

Nepal is one of the [[least developed countries]], which ranks 165th in the world{{efn|October 2019, IMF update, excludes [[Somalia]] and [[Syria]].}} in [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=47&pr.y=14&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,546,213,674,911,676,314,548,193,556,122,678,912,181,313,867,419,682,513,684,316,273,913,868,124,921,339,948,638,943,514,686,218,688,963,518,616,728,223,836,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,624,692,522,694,622,962,156,142,626,449,628,564,228,565,924,283,233,853,632,288,636,293,634,566,238,964,662,182,960,359,423,453,935,968,128,922,611,714,321,862,243,135,248,716,469,456,253,722,642,942,643,718,939,724,734,576,644,936,819,961,172,813,132,726,646,199,648,733,915,184,134,524,652,361,174,362,328,364,258,732,656,366,654,144,336,146,263,463,268,528,532,923,944,738,176,578,534,537,536,742,429,866,433,369,178,744,436,186,136,925,343,869,158,746,439,926,916,466,664,112,826,111,542,298,967,927,443,846,917,299,544,582,941,474,446,754,666,698&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |access-date=15 November 2019 |publisher=IMF |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308021608/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=47&pr.y=14&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,546,213,674,911,676,314,548,193,556,122,678,912,181,313,867,419,682,513,684,316,273,913,868,124,921,339,948,638,943,514,686,218,688,963,518,616,728,223,836,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,624,692,522,694,622,962,156,142,626,449,628,564,228,565,924,283,233,853,632,288,636,293,634,566,238,964,662,182,960,359,423,453,935,968,128,922,611,714,321,862,243,135,248,716,469,456,253,722,642,942,643,718,939,724,734,576,644,936,819,961,172,813,132,726,646,199,648,733,915,184,134,524,652,361,174,362,328,364,258,732,656,366,654,144,336,146,263,463,268,528,532,923,944,738,176,578,534,537,536,742,429,866,433,369,178,744,436,186,136,925,343,869,158,746,439,926,916,466,664,112,826,111,542,298,967,927,443,846,917,299,544,582,941,474,446,754,666,698&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |url-status=live }}</ref> and 162nd{{efn|October 2019, IMF update; excludes [[Somalia]], [[Syria]], and [[Venezuela]].}} in [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at PPP]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=81&pr.y=10&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,546,213,674,911,676,314,548,193,556,122,678,912,181,313,867,419,682,513,684,316,273,913,868,124,921,339,948,638,943,514,686,218,688,963,518,616,728,223,836,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,624,692,522,694,622,962,156,142,626,449,628,564,228,565,924,283,233,853,632,288,636,293,634,566,238,964,662,182,960,359,423,453,935,968,128,922,611,714,321,862,243,135,248,716,469,456,253,722,642,942,643,718,939,724,734,576,644,936,819,961,172,813,132,726,646,199,648,733,915,184,134,524,652,361,174,362,328,364,258,732,656,366,654,144,336,146,263,463,268,528,532,923,944,738,176,578,534,537,536,742,429,866,433,369,178,744,436,186,136,925,343,869,158,746,439,926,916,466,664,112,826,111,542,298,967,927,443,846,917,299,544,582,941,474,446,754,666,698&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |access-date=15 November 2019 |publisher=IMF |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302052855/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=81&pr.y=10&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,668,914,672,612,946,614,137,311,546,213,674,911,676,314,548,193,556,122,678,912,181,313,867,419,682,513,684,316,273,913,868,124,921,339,948,638,943,514,686,218,688,963,518,616,728,223,836,516,558,918,138,748,196,618,278,624,692,522,694,622,962,156,142,626,449,628,564,228,565,924,283,233,853,632,288,636,293,634,566,238,964,662,182,960,359,423,453,935,968,128,922,611,714,321,862,243,135,248,716,469,456,253,722,642,942,643,718,939,724,734,576,644,936,819,961,172,813,132,726,646,199,648,733,915,184,134,524,652,361,174,362,328,364,258,732,656,366,654,144,336,146,263,463,268,528,532,923,944,738,176,578,534,537,536,742,429,866,433,369,178,744,436,186,136,925,343,869,158,746,439,926,916,466,664,112,826,111,542,298,967,927,443,846,917,299,544,582,941,474,446,754,666,698&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |url-status=live }}</ref> Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2019 was $34.186&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=NP |title=GDP (current US$) {{!}} Data |publisher=World Bank |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312080539/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=NP |archive-date=12 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nepal {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/country/NP|access-date=23 July 2021|publisher=World Bank|archive-date=3 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603134747/https://data.worldbank.org/country/NP|url-status=live}}</ref> Nepal&nbsp;has consistently been ranked as&nbsp;one of the poorest countries in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar/publication/climbing-higher-toward-a-middle-income-country | title=Climbing Higher: Toward a Middle-Income Nepal }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://friendsofwpcnepal.org/10-causes-of-poverty-nepal/ | title=10 Causes of Poverty in Nepal - Friends of WPC Nepal | date=29 May 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.inf.org.uk/about-nepal/poverty-in-nepal/ | title=Poverty in Nepal, Hunger and food shortages, INF }}</ref> Nepal has been a member of [[WTO]] since 23 April 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_nepal_e.htm |title=Accessions: Nepal |publisher=WTO |access-date=15 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115111106/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_nepal_e.htm |archive-date=15 November 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 16.8-million-worker [[Labour in Nepal|Nepali labour force]] is the 37th largest in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2095rank.html|title=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=18 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530152006/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications//the-world-factbook/rankorder/2095rank.html|archive-date=30 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Primary sector of the economy|The primary sector]] makes up 27.59% of GDP, [[Secondary sector of the economy|the secondary sector]] 14.6%, and [[Tertiary sector of the economy|the tertiary sector]] 57.81%.<ref name="National Accounts of Nepal 2018/19">{{cite web |url=https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2019/04/Press-release-2018_19.pdf |title=National Accounts of Nepal 2018/19 |year=2019 |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics Nepal |access-date=5 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505113753/https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2019/04/Press-release-2018_19.pdf |archive-date=5 May 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nepal's foreign exchange remittances of US$8.1&nbsp;billion in 2018, the 19th largest in the world and constituting 28.0% of GDP,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/10/nepal-is-19th-largest-receiver-of-remittances-with-81-billion|title=Nepal is 19th largest receiver of remittances with $8.1&nbsp;billion|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=13 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813212246/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/10/nepal-is-19th-largest-receiver-of-remittances-with-81-billion|url-status=live}}</ref> were contributed to its economy by millions of workers primarily in India, the Middle East and East Asia, almost all of them unskilled labourers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2018/05/02/unskilled-workers-dominate-nepali-labour-force-abroad|title=Unskilled workers dominate Nepali labour force abroad|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=5 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605103453/https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2018/05/02/unskilled-workers-dominate-nepali-labour-force-abroad|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2017/09/18/more-nepalis-going-abroad-for-employment|title=More Nepalis going abroad for employment|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=13 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813193436/https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2017/09/18/more-nepalis-going-abroad-for-employment|url-status=live}}</ref> Major agricultural products include cereals (barley, maize, millet, paddy and wheat), oilseed, potato, pulses, sugarcane, jute, tobacco, milk and water buffalo meat.<ref name=cia17>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nepal/|title=South Asia :: Nepal – The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109075733/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nepal/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chaudhary|first=Deepak|date=1 November 2018|title=Agricultural Policies and Rural Development in Nepal: An Overview|journal=Research Nepal Journal of Development Studies|language=en|volume=1|issue=2|pages=34–46|doi=10.3126/rnjds.v1i2.22425|issn=2631-2131|doi-access=free|url=https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/document/67966/1/ssoar-rnjds-2018-2-chaudhary-Agricultural_Policies_and_Rural_Development.pdf}}</ref> Major industries include tourism, carpets, textiles, cigarettes, cement, brick, as well as small rice, jute, sugar and oilseed mills.<ref name=cia17/> Nepal's international trade greatly expanded in 1951 with the establishment of democracy; liberalisation began in 1985 and picked up pace after 1990. By the fiscal year 2016/17, Nepal's foreign trade amounted Rs 1.06&nbsp;trillion, a twenty-three folds increase from Rs 45.6&nbsp;billion in 1990/91. More than 60% of Nepal's trade is with India. Major exports include readymade garment, carpet, pulses, handicrafts, leather, medicinal herbs, and paper products, which account for 90% of the total. Major imports include various finished and semi-finished goods, raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemical fertilisers, electrical and electronic devices, petroleum products, gold, and readymade garments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Acharya|first=Khubi Ram|date=5 July 2019|title=Nepalese Foreign Trade: Growth, Composition, and Direction|journal=NCC Journal|language=en|volume=4|issue=1|pages=91–96|doi=10.3126/nccj.v4i1.24741|issn=2505-0788|doi-access=free}}</ref> Inflation was at 4.5% in 2019.<ref name="wb19">{{cite web|title=Overview|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal/overview|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621191142/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal/overview|archive-date=21 June 2019|access-date=23 November 2019|publisher=World Bank|language=en}}</ref> Foreign exchange reserves were at US$9.5&nbsp;billion in July 2019, equivalent to 7.8 months of imports.<ref name=wb19/>
[[File:GPD per capita development of Nepal.jpg|thumb|right|Real GDP per capita development of Nepal]]
Nepal has made significant progress in poverty reduction bringing the population below the international poverty line (US$1.90 per person per day) from 15% in 2010 to just 9.3% in 2018, although vulnerability remains extremely high, with almost 32% of the population living on between US$1.90 and US$3.20 per person per day.<ref name=wb19/> Nepal has made improvement in sectors like nutrition, child mortality, electricity, improved flooring and assets. Under the current trend, Nepal is expected to eradicate poverty within 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://in.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-nepal-poverty-india-idINDEE92H0FZ20130318 |title=Bangladesh, Nepal, Rwanda top India in reducing poverty&nbsp;– study |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=19 March 2013 |agency=Reuters India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321061824/https://in.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/bangladesh-nepal-poverty-india-idINDEE92H0FZ20130318 |archive-date=21 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/mar/17/aid-trade-reduce-acute-poverty |title=World poverty is shrinking rapidly, new index reveals |last=McVeigh |first=Tracy |date=17 March 2013 |work=The Guardian |access-date=19 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216091824/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/mar/17/aid-trade-reduce-acute-poverty |archive-date=16 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable as it is highly dependent on the monsoon rains, with just 28% of the arable land being irrigated, {{as of |2014}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.worldbank.org/en/results/2014/04/11/nepal-irrigation-and-water-resource-management|title=Nepal: Irrigation and Water Resource Management|publisher=World Bank|language=en|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18%, and manufacturing and craft-based industry 6%.<ref name="World Bank: Nepal- Country Overview 2012">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org.np/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/NEPALEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22147453~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:223555,00.html |title=World Bank: Nepal- Country Overview 2012 |year=2012 |publisher=World Bank |access-date=31 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822110758/https://www.worldbank.org.np/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/NEPALEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22147453~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:223555,00.html |archive-date=22 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Private investment, consumption, tourism and agriculture are the principal contributors to economic growth.<ref name="wb19"/>

The government's budget is about $13.71&nbsp;billion (FY 2019/20);<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/30/c_138102450.htm|title=Nepali gov't presents 13.71 bln USD budget for next fiscal year |agency=Xinhua News Agency |access-date=24 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530051927/https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/30/c_138102450.htm|archive-date=30 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> expenditure of infrastructure development budget, most of it contributed by foreign aid, usually fails to meet the target.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.setopati.com/market/141194/|title=Finance Minister Khatiwada worried as ministries fail to spend development budget|website=Setopati|access-date=24 November 2019|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929231840/https://en.setopati.com/market/141194/|url-status=live}}</ref> The country receives foreign aid from the UK,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmintdev/854/85403.htm |title=DFID's bilateral programme in Nepal |date=27 March 2015 |publisher=The [[International Development Committee]] of the House of Commons |access-date=17 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609015721/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmintdev/854/85403.htm |archive-date=9 June 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-nepal-aid-corruption-idUSKBN0MN00F20150327 |title=UK should cut aid to Nepal if "endemic" corruption persists: report |date=27 March 2015 |work=Reuters |access-date=16 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085227/https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/27/us-britain-nepal-aid-corruption-idUSKBN0MN00F20150327 |archive-date=18 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> India, Japan, the US, the EU, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. The [[Nepalese rupee|Nepali rupee]] has been tied to the [[Indian rupee]] at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Per capita income is $1,004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/per-capita-income-to-reach-1400-by-2023-24/|title=Per capita income to reach $1,400 by 2023–24|date=4 April 2019|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US|access-date=24 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405145909/https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/per-capita-income-to-reach-1400-by-2023-24/|archive-date=5 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[distribution of wealth]] among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%. [[European Union]] (EU) (46.13%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners; they mainly buy Nepali ready-made garments (RMG).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ktm2day.com/2011/10/11/eu-is-largest-buyer-of-nepali-garments/ |title=EU as Nepal's largest exporter |date=11 October 2011 |publisher=ktm2day |access-date=11 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013040013/https://www.ktm2day.com/2011/10/11/eu-is-largest-buyer-of-nepali-garments/ |archive-date=13 October 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nepal's import partners include India (47.5%), the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%).

Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor infrastructure, the ineffective post-1950 government and the long-running civil war are also factors in stunting the country's economic growth and development.<ref name="Encarta">{{Cite encyclopedia |entry=Nepal: Economy |entry-url=https://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562648_3/Nepal.html |page=3 |access-date=<!-- archived deadlink: 23 September 2005 -->|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028104223/https://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562648_3/Nepal.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 |title=MSN Encarta |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Development Failure">{{cite web |url=https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=himalaya |title=Development Failure: A Critical Review of Three Analyses of Development in Nepal |access-date=30 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817153139/https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=himalaya |archive-date=17 August 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Development-Conflict Nexus">{{cite web |url=https://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/%28httpEnvelopes%29/22099AADFE2FE9D2C12576B0003EC686?OpenDocument |title=A Development Failure: The Development-Conflict Nexus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720104316/https://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/%28httpEnvelopes%29/22099AADFE2FE9D2C12576B0003EC686?OpenDocument |archive-date=20 July 2012 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> Debt bondage even involving debtors' children has been a persistent social problem in the western hills and the [[Terai]], with an estimated 234,600 people or 0.82% of the population considered as enslaved, by The Global Slavery Index in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/nepal/ |title=Nepal |last=Kevin Bales |website=The Global Slavery Index 2016 |publisher=The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313214330/https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/nepal/ |archive-date=13 March 2018 |access-date=13 March 2018 |display-authors=etal}}</ref>

In 2022, Nepal limited import of non-essential goods after its foreign currency reserves dropped. [[COVID-19 pandemic]] caused a decline in tourism spending and the money sent home by Nepalis working abroad, which in turn lowered country's foreign currency reserve.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61076089 | title=Nepal limits imports as foreign currency reserves slide | date=12 April 2022 | publisher=BBC News | access-date=12 April 2022 | archive-date=13 August 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813212850/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61076089 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{main|Tourism in Nepal}}
[[File:USAID Measuring Impact Conservation Enterprise Retrospective (Nepal; National Trust for Nature Conservation) (26428623908).jpg|thumb|Tourists view a [[greater one-horned rhinoceros]] from an [[Asian elephant]] in [[Chitwan National Park]].]]
Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in Nepal, employing more than a million people and contributing 7.9% of the total GDP.<ref name=tkptour19/> The number of international visitors crossed one million in 2018 for the first time (not counting Indian tourists arriving by land).<ref name=tkptour19>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/05/26/nepal-tourism-generated-rs240b-and-supported-1m-jobs-last-year-report|title=Nepal tourism generated Rs 240b and supported 1m jobs last year: Report|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=30 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730002145/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/05/26/nepal-tourism-generated-rs240b-and-supported-1m-jobs-last-year-report|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tourism.gov.np/files/statistics/2.pdf|publisher=Government of Nepal, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation, Planning & Evaluation Division, Research & Statistical Section|title=Nepal Tourism Statistics 2017|date=May 2018|editor-last=Ghimire|editor-first=Dandu Raj|display-editors=etal|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=24 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041439/https://tourism.gov.np/files/statistics/2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nepal's share of visitors to South Asia is about 6%, and they spend much less on average, with Nepal sharing 1.7% of the earnings.<ref name=thttour>{{cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/nepal-enough-opportunities-tap-tourists-visit-south-asian-nations/|title=Nepal has enough opportunities to tap tourists who visit other South Asian nations|date=6 November 2016|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303183849/https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/nepal-enough-opportunities-tap-tourists-visit-south-asian-nations/|url-status=live}}</ref> Premier destinations include Pokhara, the [[Annapurna Circuit|Annapurna trekking circuit]] and the four UNESCO world heritage sites—[[Lumbini]], [[Sagarmatha National Park]] (home to Mount Everest), seven sites in the Kathmandu Valley collectively listed as one, and Chitwan National Park. Most of Nepal's mountaineering earning comes from Mount Everest, which is more accessible from the Nepalese side.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Issues with Overtourism in Destinations Like Mount Everest |url=https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/too-many-tourists/ |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Pegasus Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nepal officially opened to westerners in 1951 and became a popular destination at the end of the [[hippie trail]] in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://academic.oup.com/chicago-scholarship-online/book/18777/chapter/177037645 |title=Nepal's Discovery of Tourism and the End of the Hippie Era |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=academic.oup.com |date=2017 |doi=10.7208/chicago/9780226429137.003.0010 |last1=Liechty |first1=Mark |chapter=10. Nepal's Discovery of Tourism and the End of the Hippie Era |pages=271–294 |isbn=978-0-226-42894-9 }}</ref> The industry, disrupted by the civil war in the 1990s, has since recovered but faces challenges to growth, owing to a lack of proper facilities for high-end tourism termed the "infrastructure bottleneck", mounting issues facing [[Nepal Airlines]], and a handful of destinations properly developed and marketed. The home-stay tourism, in which cultural and eco-tourists stay as paying guests in the homes of indigenous people, has seen some success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/68553/|title=Homestay registration on the rise|last=Sunuwar|first=Muna|website=My Republica|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308222435/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/68553/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Foreign employment===
[[File:Child_Labour_in_Brick_Kilns_of_Nepal.jpg|thumb|While adults are employed in slavery-like conditions abroad, hundreds of thousands of children in the country are employed as [[Child labour in Nepal|child labour]] (not including the agricultural sector).{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}]]
The rate of unemployment and underemployment exceeds half of the working-age population,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/27/nepals-unemployment-rate-estimated-at-114-percent|title=Nepal's unemployment rate estimated at 11.4 percent|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212944/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/27/nepals-unemployment-rate-estimated-at-114-percent|url-status=live}}</ref> driving millions to seek employment abroad, mainly in India, the Gulf, and East Asia. Mostly unskilled, uneducated, and indebted to loan sharks, these workers are swindled by the manpower companies and sent to exploitative employers or war-ridden countries under fraudulent contracts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/world/middleeast/12-hostages-from-nepal-are-executed-in-iraq-a-militant.html|title=12 Hostages From Nepal Are Executed in Iraq, a Militant Group Claims|last=Tavernise|first=Sabrina|date=1 September 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=3 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803141717/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/world/middleeast/12-hostages-from-nepal-are-executed-in-iraq-a-militant.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/48523/|title=He narrowly escaped the 2004 Iraq massacre of 12 Nepalis|last=Sharma|first=Bhadra|website=My Republica|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202215736/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/48523/|url-status=live}}</ref> They have their passports seized, to be returned when the employer grants them leave or terminates their contracts. Most do not get paid minimum wage,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/basic-minimum-wage-eludes-nepali-migrant-workers/|title=Basic minimum wage eludes Nepali migrant workers|date=9 May 2019|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212954/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/basic-minimum-wage-eludes-nepali-migrant-workers/|url-status=live}}</ref> and many are forced to forfeit all or part of the wages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/10/13/nepali-migrant-workers-returning-home-from-labour-destination-countries-without-wages|title=Nepali migrant workers returning home from labour destination countries without wages|website=Kathmandu Post|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013045255/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/10/13/nepali-migrant-workers-returning-home-from-labour-destination-countries-without-wages|url-status=live}}</ref> Many Nepalis work in extremely unsafe conditions; an average of two workers die each day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-receiving-two-dead-migrant-workers-every-day-for-past-seven-years-report/|title=Nepal receiving two dead migrant workers every day for past seven years: Report|date=24 August 2018|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212952/https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-receiving-two-dead-migrant-workers-every-day-for-past-seven-years-report/|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to restrictions placed on women, many depend on traffickers to get out of the country, and end up victims of violence and abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asiafoundation.org/2018/06/06/nepalese-labor-migration-a-status-report/|title=Nepalese Labor Migration—A Status Report|work=The Asia Foundation |date=6 June 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212941/https://asiafoundation.org/2018/06/06/nepalese-labor-migration-a-status-report/|url-status=live |last1=Stayton |first1=Mordecai }}</ref> Many Nepalese are believed to be working under slavery-like conditions, and Nepal spends billions of rupees rescuing stranded workers, on remuneration to the indebted families of the dead, and in legal costs for those arrested in foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/asia/2018/02/plight-nepal-migrant-workers-180205084756399.html|title=The plight of Nepal's migrant workers|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=1 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201154807/https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/asia/2018/02/plight-nepal-migrant-workers-180205084756399.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ilofe>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilo.org/kathmandu/areasofwork/labour-migration/lang--en/index.htm|title=Labour migration in Nepal (ILO in Nepal)|publisher=ILO|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212940/https://www.ilo.org/kathmandu/areasofwork/labour-migration/lang--en/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Though millions have raised themselves out of poverty, due to a lack of entrepreneurial skills, the remittance is largely spent on real estate and consumption.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/50427/|title=Sorrows of Nepali migrant workers|last=Mishra|first=Surya Nath|website=My Republica|language=en|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212937/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/50427/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ilofe/>

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