The Impact of Technology on the Nepalese Economy: The Data

What the official data says about Nepal's economy

Technology is easier to discuss sensibly once the size of the economy around it is clear. This article uses published figures and says where each one comes from. Several are estimates that later revisions can change, so check the source before you rely on a number.

Nepal's economy is mostly services. According to figures reported from the government's Economic Survey 2025/26, services made up about 62.01% of GDP in fiscal year 2024/25 and an estimated 61.81% in 2025/26. Agriculture was 25.16% and an estimated 24.03%. Industry was 12.83% and an estimated 14.16%. For growth, the National Statistics Office estimated 4.61% for 2024/25, and the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reported an estimated 3.85% for 2025/26 (Economic Survey highlights, NRB macroeconomic report).

Remittances: the number that shapes everything else

World Bank data puts personal remittances received at 26.2% of Nepal's GDP in 2024, among the highest shares in the world. The NRB reported that remittance inflows rose 13.2% to Rs 1,356.61 billion in the first ten months of fiscal year 2024/25 (Himalayan Times, citing NRB).

For a business, the practical reading is that household spending depends heavily on money sent home. That is one reason many Nepali companies look for customers abroad as well as in Nepal.

Connectivity: who is online

DataReportal's Digital 2025 report counted 16.5 million internet users in Nepal at the start of 2025, a penetration of 55.8%. It counted 39.0 million active cellular mobile connections, equal to 132% of the population, and found that 80.5% of those connections are 3G, 4G or 5G. The report notes that some connections carry only voice and SMS (DataReportal: Digital 2025, Nepal).

Two things follow. Mobile is the main way people reach digital services in Nepal, so any product built for customers there should work well on a phone. And a large part of the population is still offline, which limits what online-only services can reach.

IT services as an export

Official figures understate the sector. Nepal's telecommunications, computer and information services exports were Rs 22.33 billion in fiscal year 2024/25, 9.36% of total service exports. Industry observers quoted by the Kathmandu Post say the real figure is higher, partly because payments for IT work often arrive labelled as remittances, which makes them hard to separate from personal transfers (Kathmandu Post).

Policy is also moving. The NRB has said that Nepali IT exporters may invest up to USD 1 million abroad, and companies that have not yet exported up to USD 20,000, to help firms expand into other markets.

What this means for businesses

• Build for mobile first. Connectivity data points to phones as the main channel.
• Plan for export and domestic demand together. Remittance-driven spending and growing IT exports pull in different directions, and a product can serve both.
• Treat the numbers as estimates. Growth, sector shares and export figures are revised, and IT exports are measured imperfectly.
• Use AI where it removes real work. In a services-led economy, the useful applications are usually in support, scheduling, documents and data, not in replacing whole functions.

For the local context behind these points, see our guides to the top tech companies in Nepal in 2026 and AI companies based in Kathmandu.

What Zunkiree Labs offers

Zunkiree Labs builds custom AI systems (including RAG pipelines, LLM integration and intelligent automation), data systems, custom software, and web and mobile applications, and is based in Nepal. The full list is on the services page. If you are weighing a technology project in Nepal, bring one real workflow and ask any supplier, including us, how it would work and how you would measure it.

Sources

• Major highlights of Economic Survey 2025/26 (Himal Press)
• Nepal Rastra Bank: Current macroeconomic and financial situation, annual data of 2024/25
• NSO estimates economic growth at 4.61% for FY 2024/25 (B360 Nepal)
• Remittance inflows rise 13.2% in first 10 months of FY 2024/25 (Himalayan Times)
• DataReportal: Digital 2025, Nepal
• Nepal's IT exports near $1 billion (Kathmandu Post, 25 February 2026)