Kathmandu, 13 Jan: Income earned by Nepalis through providing consultancy services abroad has been increasing. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, Nepalis have generated significant income up to Mangsir (mid-December) of the current fiscal year 2082/83.
During this five-month period, Nepalis earned Rs 18.10 billion from consultancy services, the central bank stated. This income was generated from professional and management-related consultancy services provided abroad. In the same period last year, Nepalis had earned Rs 14.56 billion from consultancy services.
Up to Mangsir, nearly Rs 2 billion flowed out of Nepal under the consultancy heading. According to the central bank, Rs 1.79 billion was transferred abroad during this period for consultancy services. Taking into account both inflows and outflows, Nepal earned a net income of Rs 16.31 billion from consultancy services. In the same period last year, the net income stood at Rs 13.20 billion.
Nepal Rastra Bank data also shows that Nepalis earned income from abroad under the research and development (R&D) heading. As per the statistics, Rs 56.5 million was earned from R&D services up to Mangsir, while Rs 28.3 million flowed out of Nepal under the same heading. The data indicates that Nepal’s overall transaction volume in research and development—considered crucial for innovation and technological advancement—remains quite low.
During this period, Nepalis earned Rs 9.55 billion by providing technical and trade-related services abroad. Under the same heading, Rs 3.43 billion flowed out of Nepal. Compared to previous years, income from such services has been increasing. In the same period of the last fiscal year, Nepal earned Rs 7.39 billion from this category.
According to the central bank, Nepalis are also earning income by providing audiovisual-related services abroad. In five months, Nepalis earned Rs 1.58 billion from such services, compared to Rs 1.34 billion in the same period last year. During the first five months of the current fiscal year, Rs 451.3 million flowed out of Nepal under this heading.
Rs 34 Billion Earned from Tourists
In five months, Nepal earned nearly Rs 34 billion from tourists. This income, recorded under the travel heading, reflects the expenditure made by foreign visitors in Nepal. In the same period last year, Nepal had earned Rs 35.11 billion.
According to Nepal Rastra Bank, Rs 88.97 billion flowed out of Nepal under the travel heading during this period. Due to the gap between inflows and outflows related to travel, Nepal recorded a deficit of Rs 55 billion under this category.
Under the travel heading, income from business travel amounted to only Rs 21.6 million, while Rs 747.8 million flowed out. In the personal travel category, Nepal earned Rs 33.94 billion, whereas Rs 88.22 billion flowed out. Personal travel includes trips related to health, education, and similar purposes. Due to the large number of Nepalis going abroad for studies, more than Rs 56 billion flowed out of Nepal under the education-related travel heading alone.
