Even as Nepal records impressive growth in remittance inflows, remittance outflows have surged by 52.73 percent in the first six months of the current fiscal year (FY).
Data from Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) show that foreign employees working in Nepal remitted Rs 6.98 billion out of the country between mid-July 2025 and mid-January 2026. This marks an increase of Rs 2.41 billion compared to Rs 4.57 billion recorded during the same period last fiscal year.
The outflow primarily consists of remittances sent by foreign workers employed in Nepal under government-issued work permits. Such workers are permitted to remit up to 75 percent of their earnings abroad, while the remaining 25 percent must be spent within Nepal.
However, the figures do not capture remittances sent by foreign workers engaged in the informal sector. A large number of Indian workers are informally employed in Nepal and often repatriate their earnings in cash, which is not reflected in official data.
Nepal hosts foreign employees in foreign investment–led companies, banks and financial institutions, as well as projects related to manufacturing, infrastructure and hydropower. A government report released in 2024 noted that a significant number of workers from China and India are currently employed in Nepal.
According to the NRB, remittance inflows to Nepal rose by 39.1 percent to Rs 1.062 trillion in the first half of the current FY. In contrast, remittance outflows had increased by only 4.2 percent during the same period last fiscal year.
In the one-month period from mid-December to mid-January alone, remittance receipts amounted to Rs 192.62 billion, up sharply from Rs 122.44 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year. During the same period, Rs 984.3 million was remitted out of the country.
