Bajura is the poorest district in Nepal, while Mustang is the richest

The poorest families in Nepal are found in Bajura, while the wealthiest families are found in Mustang, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MoLMCPA). The poor identification program, of which this analysis is a component, has been completed in 77 districts, 64 of which have had data analyzed.

In 49 districts, identity cards for low-income families have been distributed, and data analysis is still ongoing in 13 other districts.

Bajura residents had the highest percentage of impoverished families among the 64 districts where the data was analyzed. Sixty-three percent of Bajura’s 21,711 families, or families overall, are impoverished, according to the MoLMCPA.

In Bajura, it indicates that 13,815 families live in poverty. 3,059 of these families are generally poor, 4,262 are middle-class, and 6,494 are extremely poor. With 12,684 families and a poverty rate of 57.68 percent, Kalikot is the second poorest district. 3,951 families are moderately poor, 2,748 families are marginally poor, and 5,985 families are extremely poor.

Bajhang is closely behind, with 16,458 families, or 56.19 percent, classified as impoverished. According to the MoLMCPA, there are 7,944 extremely poor families in Bajhang, 5,013 moderately poor families, and 3,501 marginally poor families.

Mustang, on the other hand, has the lowest percentage of impoverished families—just 5.03 percent out of 2,266 families there. Just 31 families are extremely poor out of this total, followed by 34 moderately poor and 49 marginally poor families.

With only 5.5% of its 1,152 families classified as poor, Manang is the second least impoverished district. The remaining families in these neighborhoods are thought to be well off.

There are only six extremely poor families in Manang out of the total number of families. In a similar vein, 39 families live in marginal poverty and 14 families live in moderate poverty.

The urban districts that still need to be examined include the Kathmandu Valley. “Therefore, it is evident from the list of 77 districts in which the data has been received and analyzed that Bajura and Kalikot will likely continue to be the poorest districts even after data analysis is completed,” said Jhabindra Pandey, head of the MoLMCPA’s poor identification and standards section. “To date, the total number of poor families recognized across 64 districts is 1,051,513 families, of which 584,696 families are extremely poor families, 283,950 moderately poor families, and 202,867 marginally poor families,” she continued.

Identity cards have been distributed by the MoLMCPA to classify families according to their poverty level. Extremely poor families get a red card, those that are moderately poor get a yellow card, and those that are marginally poor get a blue card. Since the program’s launch eleven years ago, millions of rupees have been lost due to poor identification. According to the MoLMCPA, the program cost close to Rs 2 billion between 2075 BS and 2078 BS. The course first started in 2070 BC.

In addition to carrying out ongoing identity card distribution and analysis, the MoLMCPA is still working to identify and support low-income families throughout Nepal.