The Nepal Weekly 
April 4, 2023
The final report of the National Census 2021 has been released recently which shows that total population of Nepal as of November 2022 is 29,164,578.Out of that number the number of males is 14,253,551 (48.98 %) and the number of females is 14,911,027 (51.02 %). That means, there are 95.59 males per 100 females. Likewise, a total of 2,928 individuals recorded as ‘other gender’.
The report also says that annual average population on growth rate stood at 0.92 per cent in 2021. This rate was 1.35 percent in 2011. On the other side, there are a few districts which show decrease in population.
Mountain region occupies 68 per cent of total land of the country is hose of 40.31 per cent of population. Himali districts cover 16 per cent of total land where 6.08 per cent of population live. Similarly 53.61 The Terai region which covers 17 per cent of total land but 53.61 per cent of population reside there. It is also worth mention that by ecological belt, the highest population on density is 460 in the Tarai region and the lowest is 34 in the Mountain region.
The census 2021 shows that 61.96 per cent of Nepal’s total population on is between the ages of 15 to 59 years. The population on of this age group was 56.96 per cent in 2011. Currently, the population on aged 14 years or below and 60 years or above are 27.83 per cent and 10.21 per cent, respectively.
The total number of households has increased from 5,427,302 in 2011 to 6,666,937 in 2021That is, an increase by 23 per cent.
The census 2021 shows that average household size is 4.37 persons per household whereas it was 4.88 in 2011. By ecological belt, average household size is 4.33 persons per household in the Mountain region, 3.99 in the Hill and 4.73 in the Tarai region.
In the 2021 census, the population on in urban municipalities has reached 66.17 per cent, while the population on in rural municipalities has reached 33.83 per cent.
The challenges created by changes in the data need to take seriously. The female births are unethically aborted. A larger segment of youths are migrated to the Gulf countries, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and some other countries. Similarly, young energetic youths are migrated to USA, Australia and UK for studies and stay longer for jobs. Apart from that educated workforce seek jobs abroad. These are causes that the country misses workforce for agriculture and industries. Moreover, agriculture has been an unfavourable occupation. Farmers are always in loss. They do not get good price of products which should at least be able to cover the cost of production. Though not as per requirement, the Government mechanism pours money to support the farmers but people in between the Government and real farmers enjoy the facilities.
As said above, farmers get low price of their products while consumers have to pay much as the ‘traders’ in between get wider margin. That is the reason that more youths from farmer community prefer hard jobs abroad.
Lack of employment and minimum remuneration offered are the problems of educated workforce. They try to find better opportunities abroad. Opportunities in the country in agriculture or industries can stop the ratio of migration to abroad. That also can help stop residents of rural areas to migrate to urban areas where the living of migrants is not easy. Therefore the Government must be serious to formulate effective plans to stop youth force to contribute at home and their own places.
Moreover, the changed population pattern is a threat to ecological balance as well as the Terai has to bear a big population pressure. That means, all facilities and amenities are supposed to be available to the population to stay without migrating. But available resources, implementation modality and human resource are not suitable to cater the facilities.
Therefore the Government mechanism must consider the challenges of changes as shown by the population pattern so as in the coming years people should get employment in the country in industries and services. Similarly, engagement in the agriculture should be top priority. The farmers should be provided education, money lending, mechanisation, modern knowledge, product selling, health, education to their children should be ensured. For all these and relevant activities and programmes to conduct the Federal Government, Provincial Governments and Local Governments need to review plans and strategies. The three tier authorities need to be collaborating in a coordinated manner where limited fund and resource and fetch better benefits. (By R. P. Narayan)
