Central government debt, total in Nepal
Nepal: Central government debt, total was 39.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Central government debt, total in Nepal, 1990–2021
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 39.9% for central government debt, total in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Nepal peaked at 66.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 31.8%, in 2019.
That places Nepal 60th out of 83 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 52.6% | — |
| 1991 | 64.9% | +23.4% |
| 1992 | 61.7% | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 63.7% | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 66.5% | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 66.2% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 65.2% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 59.9% | -8.2% |
| 1998 | 66.4% | +10.8% |
| 1999 | 64.1% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 64.6% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | -8.6% |
| 2002 | 63.9% | +8.4% |
| 2003 | 62.6% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 59.4% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 51.8% | -12.9% |
| 2006 | 49.7% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 43.0% | -13.5% |
| 2008 | 43.8% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 33.9% | -22.7% |
| 2019 | 31.8% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 39.0% | +22.9% |
| 2021 | 39.9% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.1% | 52.6% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.3% | 43.0% | 64.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 32.8% | 31.8% | 33.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 39.0% | 39.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 57 Marshall Islands 41.6% compare
- 58 Georgia 40.1% compare
- 59 Andorra 40.0%
- 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 39.7% compare
- 62 Costa Rica 39.3% compare
- 63 Kyrgyzstan 38.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Nepal
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.28 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.25 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2615 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 401.59 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 8.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3372 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 517.97 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 11.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 45.96 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Nepal?
- Central government debt, total in Nepal was 39.9% in 2021, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 66.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.8% in 2019.
- How does Nepal rank for central government debt, total?
- Nepal ranks 60th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.