The poverty paradox

The steady rise in urban poverty calls for a shift in the country’s rural areas-centric approach.

With 66 percent of Nepal’s population living in municipalities, its urban population has steadily increased over the years, and so has urban poverty. According to the recently published fourth Living Standard Survey 2022-23 of the National Statistics Office, urban poverty climbed up to 18.34 percent in 2022-23, from 15.46 percent in 2010-11. Meanwhile, rural poverty came down to 24.66 percent, from 27.43 percent in 2010-11. The poverty percentage is the highest in Sudurpaschim Province (34.16 percent) and the lowest in Gandaki Province (11.88 percent).