Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Life expectancy there is 62 years of age for men and 63 for women – figures well below world averages. According to UNICEF, the mortality rate of children under the age of five was 50‰ in 2010 and there were close to a million orphans that year, representing 3,4% of the Nepal population; a figure in constant increase.
The population of Nepal is approximately 28,3 million (2006) with more than sixty different casts or ethnics groups spread out over an area of 147,181 km. The population of Nepal is approximately 28,3 million (2006) with more than sixty different casts or ethnics groups.
Population growth rate in Nepal is 2,30%, well over the world average of 1,14%. Distribution of land and goods is very unequal: 40% of farms exploit only 9% of farmland while 6% of farms exploit over 33% of it. The average annual income per inhabitant is approximately 270 USD and it is estimated that 45% of the population lives under the poverty threshold, with 24% living on less than a dollar a day.
