Nepal is among the 20 poorest countries in the world, suffering from high levels of inequality and social exclusion. While there is peace and a return to conflict is unlikely, corruption, poor infrastructure and weak economic policies, as well as political uncertainty, mean that Nepal tends to lag behind the rest of the region in development terms. Nepal has made progress in some areas, par ticularly in health, and poverty levels continue to fall. Nepal is also one of the 20 most disaster prone countries in the world with more than 4,000 disaster related fatalities in the last 10 years and economic losses of over £3 billion.

Top priorities

• governance and security
• make government more effective and able to deliver better services to the poor
• help people, particularly women, benefit from economic growth
• help Nepal tackle climate change and natural disasters

Further resources

FCDO Operational Plan for Nepal
Nepal page on GOV.UK website

Note: This summary was written prior to the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office