Nepal Leaves 13 Million Offline Despite 145.69% Broadband Penetration
Updated
Updated · The Diplomat · May 14
Nepal Leaves 13 Million Offline Despite 145.69% Broadband Penetration
3 articles · Updated · The Diplomat · May 14
About 13 million Nepalis remained offline in late 2025, even as regulators reported broadband penetration of 145.69% because multiple SIM and fixed-line subscriptions are counted separately.
Rural users face the sharpest gap: 77% of Nepalis live outside cities, Karnali’s internet penetration is just 14%, and many connections drop with power cuts, weather or weak signal coverage.
Affordability also remains strained. Fixed broadband costs 7.28% of average per capita income—well above the 2% benchmark—and mobile data at 57.38 rupees per GB is still out of reach for many poor households.
Providers say taxes exceeding 40%, dependence on India for more than 90% of international traffic, and Nepal’s difficult terrain keep network expansion and maintenance costly, especially in remote districts.
Investment is still rising—$29 million from IFC to WorldLink and $140 million from the World Bank—but officials and industry leaders say coverage growth alone will not close gaps in reliability, literacy and meaningful use.
With satellite internet stalled, are Nepal's policies trapping its remote regions in a digital past?
Can Nepal's $30 billion tech hub dream succeed when 13 million of its own citizens remain offline?
As foreign loans fuel Nepal's digital push, is it building a connected nation or a surveillance state?
Nepal’s Broadband Paradox: High Penetration Rates, Deep Digital Divide
Overview
Nepal’s official broadband statistics paint a misleading picture of connectivity. While the Nepal Telecommunications Authority reports a broadband penetration rate as high as 144-145%, this figure is inflated because it counts subscriptions rather than unique users. Many people have multiple SIM cards or subscriptions, so a single person can be counted several times, making the overall percentage seem much higher than reality. In truth, only 16.5 million people—about 55.8% of the population—are internet users, leaving roughly 13 million Nepalis offline. This gap highlights the difference between reported connectivity and actual digital inclusion in Nepal.