Himal Press 
Photo: NSO
KATHMANDU: Nepal has made significant progress in curbing severe child deprivation over the past decade, driven by expanding physical infrastructure and improved basic social services, a recent report released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows. However, 21.4% of children in the 0-17 age group are multidimensionally deprived
The Child Deprivation Analysis, which is based on findings of the Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 and 2024/25, shows marked declines in multidimensional poverty among children aged 0 through 17. However, static child nutrition figures and socioeconomic disparities continue to pose challenges in bringing down severe child deprivation.
The country recorded significant improvements in sanitation, water access and basic healthcare over the past decade. The share of children using unimproved drinking water fell from 7% in 2014 to 1.9% in 2024/25, while those lacking sanitation facilities dropped from 32.5% to 9%. Children living in households with earth floors decreased from 72.5% to 43.7% and those without electricity plummeted from 18.6% to 3.8%.
Healthcare access improved sharply during the period as untreated cases of childhood diarrhea fell from 52.8% to 7.9%. Births unattended by skilled health personnel fell from 43.6% to 8.8%, and the rate of unimmunized or partially immunized children dropped from 29.8% in 2019 to 10.5% in 2024/25.
Furthermore, overlapping deprivations across health, nutrition and sanitation dropped from 19.4% in 2014 to 2.8% in 2024/25.
Despite overall gains, 21.4% of children aged 0 through 17 remain multidimensionally deprived, defined as experiencing three or more simultaneous deprivations, with an average intensity of 46.9%. About 80.2% experience at least one deprivation, while 51.6% face two or more. Extreme deprivation across four or more dimensions declined only slightly, moving from 5.6% to 5.1%.
Child nutrition, however, showed minimal progress during the period. In 2024/25, 60.7% of children aged six to 23 months did not receive a minimum acceptable diet. Among children under five years old, stunting stands at 26.2% and wasting at 6.6%.
Housing deprivation affects 98.8% of children in the poorest wealth quintile, compared to 11.7% in the richest. Overall deprivation among children aged 10 through 17 reaches 99.9% in the poorest quintile versus 34.1% in the wealthiest. Children of illiterate mothers face a 24.1% health deprivation rate, compared to 5.6% for those whose mothers completed higher education.
Province-wise, Karnali recorded the highest rates of housing deprivation at 87.6% and drinking water deprivation at 7.3%. Madhesh recorded higher-than-average rates in information technology at 62.6%, nutrition at 50.6%, education at 20% and health at 18.1%. Bagmati and Gandaki provinces recorded the lowest deprivation rates among provinces.
