Nepal's total reserves (% of total external debt) was 156.09% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.06 percentage points from 156.15% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 156.09% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 133.72% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 156.15% | 2014 |
| Highest | 1,117% | 1971 |
| Lowest | 17.88% | 1985 |
| Average since 2015 | 151.16% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 1,117% | 1971 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Nepal's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 31.32 percentage points on 2023 (from 124.78% to 156.09%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +2.99 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 15.9 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 40.46 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 245.81 percentage points in 1972. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 8.92 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 57% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, Nepal had the 7th highest value of the 96 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 156.09% | 2024 |
| South Asia | 76.78% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 55.78% | 2024 |
Closest to Nepal in the 2024 ranking
What this measures
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 54 values
| Year | Total reserves (% of total external debt) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 156.09 |
| 2023 | 124.78 |
| 2022 | 101.47 |
| 2021 | 109.27 |
| 2020 | 145.06 |
| 2019 | 133.72 |
| 2018 | 151.25 |
| 2017 | 190.1 |
| 2016 | 203.25 |
| 2015 | 196.61 |
| 2014 |
Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 20.48% (2024)
- Bhutan — 27.68% (2024)
- India — 89.75% (2024)
- Maldives — 14.36% (2024)
- Sri Lanka — 10.72% (2024)
More economic policy & debt data for Nepal
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$21.1 billion (2025)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$19.98 billion (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$) — US$24.73 billion (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU) — 3.37 trillion (2025)
- Services, value added (% of GDP) — 54.37% (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current US$) — US$40.02 billion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (current LCU) — 5.45 trillion (2025)
- GDP (current US$) — US$45.49 billion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 6.2 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$36.54 billion (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Nepal's total reserves (% of total external debt)?
- 156.09% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1971?
- It is down 960.7 percentage points from 1,117% in 1971. The highest value was 1,117% in 1971 and the lowest 17.88% in 1985.
- How does Nepal rank?
- 7th highest of 96 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Nepal?
- In 2024, Nepal's total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 31.32 percentage points on 2023 (from 124.78% to 156.09%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +2.99 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 15.9 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.DT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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