1,000 Young Nepalis Leave Every Day — The Brain Drain That Cannot Be Undone by Election Alone

Nepal's labour permit office processes an average of approximately 1,000 new foreign employment approvals every working day. The total stock of Nepalis abroad — including undocumented migration to India — is estimated at over 5.5 million, in a country of 29 million people. One in every five or six Nepalis of working age lives outside the country.

The composition of this migration has changed significantly. The 2015-2025 era saw a sharp increase in educated migrants — engineers, nurses, IT professionals, and teachers — leaving for Australia, Canada, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and the UAE in addition to the traditional Gulf/Malaysia corridor. The Nepal Medical Council estimates that Nepal trains approximately 2,500 doctors per year and retains fewer than 1,000.

This is not simply an economic story. It is a democratic one. When 30% of Nepal's most productive adults live and work abroad, the civic capacity of the country — its ability to staff schools, hospitals, courts, and government offices with qualified people — is directly compromised.

The RSP government's diaspora strategy is built around a fundamental reversal: making Nepal a place people return to rather than leave. The announced Labour Diaspora Investment Fund aims to channel 10% of remittances (approximately NPR 130 billion per year) into productive domestic investment. Tax incentives for returning diaspora professionals have been announced but not yet legislated.

Nepal Next will monitor the annual migration permit data, diaspora investment flows, and the government's announced return incentive programme.