TITLE:
Aging Trend and Situation in Nepal
AUTHORS:
Hom Nath Chalise
KEYWORDS:
Aging in Nepal, Older People of Nepal, The Index of Aging, Nepal
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Aging Research,
Vol.12 No.3,
May
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Aging is a natural lifelong process until death. The proportions of the older
population are increasing rapidly in Nepal too. There are 2.97 million older people
in Nepal as of the 2021 census which is a 38.2% increase compared to the previous
census of 2011. The proportion of the older population reached 10.21% of the total
population of Nepal. During this decade, Nepal’s average population growth rate
is 0.92% and the older population growth rate is 3.29% per year. On the other
hand, Nepal’s total fertility is below replacement level, infant mortality is
around 23 per thousand live births and average life expectancy is now around 71
years. The median age of Nepal is 25 years and the index of aging increased rapidly
from 23.3 in 2011 to 36.7 in the 2021 census of Nepal. These indicators show aging
is taking place rapidly and the caregiving burden may increase rapidly in the coming
days due to the tendency of migration of the young population to other countries.
In this context, the Nepal government needs to focus on how to manage the
population and provide quality services and social security for the growing older people
of Nepal.