The National Statistics Office (NSO) officially launched the second National Economic Census 2026 today, Wednesday, April 15 (Baisakh 2, 2083 BS), across all 77 districts of Nepal. The campaign, themed “Economic Census for Measuring the Economy,” aims to provide a comprehensive and realistic statistical snapshot of the country’s current economic landscape.
Mobilization and Scale
To ensure the success of this national campaign, approximately 5,000 personnel, including enumerators and supervisors, have been deployed to their designated areas. The government has established 84 District Economic Census Offices to manage the field operations, which are scheduled to continue until June 21, 2026 (the first week of Ashar).
Scope of the Census
The NSO has clarified that the census will collect basic data across 18 major economic sectors. The data collection will include:
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Establishments: Both registered and unregistered businesses, ranging from large-scale industries and factories to small self-employed units.
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Key Metrics: Number of institutions, types of investment, employment figures, production volume, and service delivery efficiency.
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Institutions: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government bodies, public and private schools, hospitals, and cooperatives.
Purpose and Strategic Goals
Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has urged all entrepreneurs and stakeholders to participate actively, emphasizing that private sector data is a “national asset.” The primary objectives of the 2026 census include:
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Strengthening estimates for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
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Providing necessary data to change the base year of national accounts.
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Assisting in the formulation of short-term and long-term economic policies and investment promotion.
Background
The first National Economic Census was conducted in 2018 (2075 BS), which recorded 923,356 establishments and businesses employing over 3.2 million people. Officials expect this second iteration to show significant shifts in the digital economy and industrial expansion over the last eight years.
Preliminary results of the census are expected to be released gradually starting from the beginning of the next fiscal year (2026/27).