96.7 Percent of Households in Nepal Have Access to Electricity: Survey

Electricity service has reached 96.7 percent of households in Nepal, according to the Fourth Nepal Multiple Indicator Survey 2081/82 made public by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Monday.

The survey shows that Gandaki Province has the highest access to electricity, with electricity service available in nearly all households. In Gandaki, 99.5 percent of households have access to a continuous source of electricity.

On the other hand, Karnali Province has the lowest electricity coverage in the country. The survey indicates that only 80.8 percent of households in Karnali have access to a continuous electricity source.

Urban Areas Ahead of Rural Regions

The survey also highlights a gap between urban and rural areas. In urban regions, 98.2 percent of households have access to continuous electricity service, while the figure stands at 93.7 percent in rural areas.

Provincial Breakdown

According to the report:

• Koshi Province has electricity access in 97.2 percent of households. In Koshi, 98.8 percent of households in urban areas and 97.2 percent in rural areas have electricity service.
• In Madhes Province, electricity service has reached around 98 percent of households.
• The Kathmandu Valley has electricity access in nearly 100 percent of households.
• In rural areas of Karnali Province, only 74.8 percent of households have access to electricity.
• In Sudurpaschim Province, electricity has reached 78.2 percent of households.

Telephone Service Also Widespread

The survey further reports that 95.5 percent of households in Nepal have access to telephone services, either through a landline or mobile phone.

Telephone access is highest in Bagmati Province, where 97.1 percent of households have telephone facilities. The lowest access was recorded in Sudurpaschim Province, with 92.6 percent of households having telephone service.

Survey Methodology

According to the National Statistics Office, data was collected from 540 clusters (enumeration areas) across the country. Out of these, 304 clusters were selected from urban areas, while 236 clusters were selected from rural areas.

From each cluster, 24 households were chosen for data collection. In total, household details were collected from 12,960 households included in the survey.

The findings provide a nationwide picture of Nepal’s progress in expanding access to electricity and communication services, while also showing significant disparities among provinces and between urban and rural regions.