• Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
• Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north 
• Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m, highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m 
• Population: 23,698,421 (July 1998 est.) 
• Age structure: 0-14 years: 42%, 15-64 years: 55%, 65 years and over: 3% (July 1998 est.) 
• Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (1998 est.) 
• Ethnic groups: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
• Religions: Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981) 
• Languages: Nepali (official), 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects 
• Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore 
• Land use: arable land: 17%, permanent crops: 0%, permanent pastures: 15%forests and woodland: 42% other: 26% (1993 est.) 
• Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cement and brick production 
• Agriculture – products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat 
• GDP: purchasing power parity – $31.1 billion (1997 est.) 
• DFID Programme (1998/9): £19.7 million ($ 33.5 million).
• DFID Programme breakdown, 1998/9 (commitments, £ million): Water/ Sanitation: 0.4, Education: 2.0, Population & Health: 2.7, Natural Resources/ Rural Development: 4.8, Infrastructure: 4.8, Governance: 2.5, Others: 1.0.
• Additional DFID plans 1998/9 (£ million): Water/Sanitation: 0.2, Education: 0.9, Governance: 0.4.
• Overall aid received: $411 million (1997/8). Donors provide 28% of total budgetary expenditure.
• Total Nepal Aid expenditure (by sector, 1995/6): Transport, power, and communications: 56.4 per cent. Agriculture, irrigation, and forestry 23.8 per cent. Social services: 18.4 per cent. Industry and commerce: 0.1 per cent. 
• Debt – external: $2.6 billion (1997 est.)
  

Sources: The Reality of Aid 1998/99, Global Development Finance, The Economist, DFID Country Strategy Paper, Global Development Finance, CIA World Factbook.