Out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal
Nepal: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 59.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal is 59.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.2% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal peaked at 63.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 42.5%, in 2006.
Nepal ranks 18th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 55.8% | — |
| 2001 | 51.3% | -8.1% |
| 2002 | 52.0% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 53.8% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 51.6% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 49.2% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 42.5% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 61.0% | +43.4% |
| 2008 | 61.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 57.6% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 56.2% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 58.4% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 56.1% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 63.5% | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 60.0% | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 59.4% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 55.4% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 57.4% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 57.7% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 57.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 54.2% | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 53.1% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 55.4% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 59.4% | +7.2% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 59.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 59.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 49.3%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +43.4% | 42.5% | 61.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53.6% | 42.5% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.2% | 55.4% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 53.1% | 59.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More health data for Nepal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8518 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,326 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 955 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0451 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Nepal was 59.4% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 63.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.5% in 2006.
- How does Nepal rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Nepal ranks 18th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.