Education System

System Structure

Diagram outlining the general structure of Nepal's education system

Language and Literacy

Official Language(s)

Official national or regional languages.

Nepali

EF English Proficiency Index

The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) places the surveyed countries and territories into five proficiency bands, from Very High to Very Low. These bands indicate the level of the “average” person.

Nepal

514 (moderate proficiency)

Global Rank

58 of 123

Source: EF English Proficiency Index

Youth Literacy Rate (Ages 15–24)

Literacy rates indicate how well a country’s education system has been functioning, particularly at the elementary level.

Nepal

94.2% (2019)

OECD Average

99.3% (2022)

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Numeracy Rate (all ages)

Nepal

Global Rank

Source: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Access and Investment

Mean Years of Schooling

Average number of completed years of education of a country’s population age 25 years and older, not including years spent repeating individual grades.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Government Expenditure on Education

Expressed as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the same financial year. The Education 2030 Framework for Action, adopted by UNESCO member states in 2015, recommends countries allocate at least 4 percent to 6 percent of GDP to education.

Nepal

3.69% (2024)

Global Rank

124 of 203

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Participation of Youth in Education and Training

Participation rate of youth (ages 15 to 24 years) in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months.

Nepal

47.9% (2017)

Global Rank

103 of 171

High Income Countries Average

63.6% (2024)

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics