The number of children (below 18 years) in Nepal's family structure has been found to be continuously decreasing.
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| photo:WHN |
According to the report on 'Status of Children in Nepal' released by the National Statistics Office based on the data of the National Census 2078, the proportion of children in families is continuously decreasing.
According to the 2078 census, there are a total of 98 lakh 69 thousand 583 children in Nepal. Which is 34 percent of the total population. According to the 2058 census, the share of children in the population was 46 percent. The number of children has decreased by 12 percentage points in 20 years. It was 42 percent in 2068.
According to the projection made by the office, the projected proportion of children will be limited to 22 percent by 2108.
According to the report of the National Statistics Office, the number of children in Nepal is only 34 percent of the total population according to the 2078 census.
The report projects that the number of children will continue to decline and will be limited to 22 percent by 2108.
According to the 2078 data, 5 percent of children in the 16-17 age group are already married and child labor is on the rise.
According to the office's Deputy Chief Statistics Officer
Dhundiraj Lamichhane, the results show that the child population in Nepal is
clearly declining. In addition, children are facing challenges such as child
marriage, poverty, economic inactivity, migration, and mental health.
The report concludes that targeted, inclusive, and
effective policy interventions are indispensable to address such challenges. As
the number of children continues to decline, Nepal will become a country with a
large elderly population in the near future. This is a clear indication that
the country will be deprived of demographic benefits due to the decrease in the
economically active population.
Not even one child in 29
percent of families
According to the data, 71 percent of
households in Nepal have children. The highest number of households in Karnali
Province is 81 percent and the lowest number is in Bagmati Province, 62 percent.
More than a quarter, or 29 percent, of
households do not have a single child. The highest number of households without
children is seen in Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.
Both these provinces have high human development indices.
When calculated as a percentage of the total population, the highest number of
children is in Madhes province at 24 percent and the lowest is in
Karnali and Gandaki at 7/7 percent.
Number of children per family 1.5
According to statistics, there are currently 1.5 children per
family at the national level. In Madhes, there are 2.1 children per
family. In Bagmati, there are 1.1 percent children, which is even
lower than the national average.
Statistics also show that more than half (53 percent) of
children at the national level are in the 0.9 year age
group. The report also points out that 45 percent of Nepal's children fall
into the extremely poor and poor groups, indicating the vulnerable situation of
children.
Child marriage persists
According to statistics, 5 percent of
children in the 16-17 year age group have been married. The highest rate is in Karnali, at 9 percent, and
the lowest is in Bagmati, at 3 percent.
Statistics show that 26 percent of
married girls become pregnant at a young age, and only 37 percent of
children go to school even after marriage. Among unmarried children, only 89 percent go to
school.
Among married children, 52 percent have
dropped out of school and 11 percent have never gone to
school. Among married children, 61 percent are economically active.
Child labor on the rise
The data indicates that child labor is also on the rise
in Nepal. The number of economically active children between the ages of 10 and 17 is 32 percent. Of
these, 33 percent are children under the age of 14. This number
is highest in Karnali, at 40 percent.
Three out of four economically active children are from
the extremely poor and disadvantaged groups. This indicates poverty and
potential child labor, as seen in the report.
31,512 children are heads of households
across the country. This is 0.5 percent. 1 percent of the
total children have some kind of disability.
According to the 2078 BS census, a quarter of children
do not have a birth registration. This trend is more in urban areas. This is
due to the subsidies available for children. That is why the birth registration
rate is higher in Karnali and Sudurpaschim.
Children in migration
According to the data, 77.9 percent of
children are living with both their mother and father. Children living only
with their mother are 17 percent and children living only with their father are 1 percent. The
rate of internal migration of children is 12 percent.
It is highest in Bagmati at 13 and lowest in
Madhes at 10 percent. The largest share of children who have migrated is seen in
semi-urban areas (66 percent). The data also shows that migration is more in
very affluent and wealthy families.
How many go to school?
On average, more than 90 percent of
children across the country are going to school and 10 percent are
out of school. In Madhesh, only 81 percent of children are in the
regular school-going group. The number of illiterate children is 6 percent across
the country. In Madhesh, it is 14 percent.
