Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s economy is estimated to have grown 4% in the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year compared with the same period a year earlier.
According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), the growth in gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices without seasonal adjustment was driven by electricity, financial services, accommodation and food services, and information and communication.
Electricity and gas-related activities recorded the highest growth of 24.36 percent year-on-year, followed by financial and insurance activities at 9.07 percent, accommodation and food services at 7.84 percent, and information and communication at 7.66 percent.
Of the 18 industrial sectors covered by the study, 17 are estimated to have recorded positive growth during the review quarter. Public administration and defence, which declined 0.12%, was the only sector to contract.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, the largest contributor to the economy, is estimated to have grown 1.35% year-on-year, supported by modest increases in agricultural and forestry production.
Wholesale and retail trade, the second-largest sector, expanded by an estimated 5.97%, reflecting increased domestic production and imports of trade-related goods.
The NSO said the overall growth rate remained moderate compared with the fourth quarter of 2024/25, partly due to lower government expenditure and only modest increases in domestic industrial and agricultural production.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, GDP at basic prices increased 1.54% in the fourth quarter compared with the preceding quarter.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing grew 1.08% quarter-on-quarter, while wholesale and retail trade expanded 2.90%.
Accommodation and food services recorded the highest seasonally adjusted quarterly growth at 6.05%, followed by electricity and gas at 3.76%, and mining and quarrying at 3.22%.
However, manufacturing contracted 0.48% quarter-on-quarter. The remaining sectors recorded generally modest growth, according to the NSO.
