Karnali Province continues to record a higher school dropout rate among girls than boys, underscoring persistent structural barriers to education in Nepal’s least developed province, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
Presenting the findings based on the 2021 National Census, NSO Social Statistics Division Director Rajan Silwal said nearly 19 percent of girls aged 18–19 in Karnali have dropped out of school, a rate higher than the national average.
According to the state-run national news agency RSS, the data were unveiled at a provincial dissemination programme on Education, Inclusion and the Status of Children in Nepal held in Birendranagar on Saturday.
Silwal reportedly identified child marriage as the leading cause of girls dropping out of school in Karnali, followed by economic hardship, limited access to higher education, household responsibilities and difficult geography. “Compared to boys, girls are more likely to be pushed out of the education system at a critical age,” RSS quoted Silwal as saying.
While school attendance among children aged 5–9 and 10–14 stands at 91 percent, the dropout rate rises sharply as students move to higher grades, data show. According to Silwal, this trend reflects weak educational access, limited infrastructure and poor continuity between school levels, particularly in remote districts of the province.
At the national level, NSO Deputy Director and statistician Dr Sharad Kumar Sharma said 5.11 percent of children have never attended school. Madhesh Province records the highest share of out-of-school children at 13.61 percent, nearly three times the national average. The proportion stands at 2.56 percent in Karnali, followed by Sudurpaschim (2.51 percent), Koshi (2.86 percent), Lumbini (3.50 percent) and Bagamati (1.64 percent), while Gandaki has the lowest rate at 1.02 percent.
According to the World Bank, Nepal has made significant strides in education access, equity, and completion rates over the past two decades, but several challenges persist in improving learning outcomes, equitable access, and system strengthening. These include: inconsistent education quality at basic and secondary levels, with learning outcomes varying by geography, school, and individual/household characteristics.
A report prepared by the World Bank noted a considerable number of out-of-school children in basic education and low transition to and retention in secondary schools, particularly for disadvantaged children; and systemic constraints within the school sector.
Read: Nepal Makes Rapid Improvements in Quality and Inclusiveness of Education
Despite Karnali not having the highest share of out-of-school children, education experts have publicly voiced concerns that dropout at the secondary level—particularly among girls—remains a critical issue, given the province’s broader development constraints.
Karnali consistently ranks at the bottom in human development indicators and infrastructure access, including roads, electricity, health services and higher education institutions. These structural gaps are reflected in its limited economic footprint. According to the World Bank’s Nepal Development Update 2024, Karnali accounts for just 4.6 percent of Nepal’s GDP and contributed only 0.14 percentage points to the country’s overall economic growth, compared to Bagamati Province’s 1.5 percentage-point contribution. The World Bank noted that while all provinces recorded growth above 3 percent, Karnali’s contribution remained the smallest due to weak services, low productivity and limited human capital development.
Education specialists warn that persistent school dropout—especially among adolescent girls—risks reinforcing this cycle, limiting workforce participation and slowing long-term development in a province already lagging behind the rest of the country.
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