February 13: The latest Nepal Living Standards Survey has revealed that 20.27 percent of the population in Nepal is living below the poverty line. The incidence of poverty is more prevalent in rural areas (24.66 percent) compared to urban areas (18.34 percent).

Releasing the Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) 2079-080 on Monday, the NSO said that the country's poverty rate could not decrease as expected due to the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic.   

According to the official poverty line for the year 2022/23, an individual in Nepal is deemed poor if their annual per capita total consumption expenditure falls below Rs 72,908.

The survey indicates significant disparity in poverty incidence across the seven provinces and the 15 administrative domains.

Four out of the seven provinces exhibit poverty rates higher than the national average. Sudurpashchim province has the highest poverty rate at 34.16 percent, followed by Karnali (26.69 percent), Lumbini (24.35 percent), and Madhesh (22.53 percent). Conversely, Gandaki, Bagmati, and Koshi provinces have rates lower than the national average at 11.88 percent, 12.59 percent, and 17.19 percent, respectively.