History of Nepal in Timeline
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, predominantly in the Himalayas, bordering China to the north and India to the south, east, and west. Its diverse geography includes fertile plains and the world's highest mountains, including Mount Everest. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. Nepal is multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural, with Nepali as the official language.
1919: Ban on Sati
In 1919, the Hindu practice of Sati was banned in Nepal.
1923: Formal Agreement of Friendship
In 1923, the United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, superseding the Sugauli Treaty of 1816.
1924: Abolishment of Slavery
In 1924, slavery was officially abolished in Nepal.
1936: Birth of Nepal Praja Parishad
In 1936, a vibrant underground political movement arose, birthing Nepal Praja Parishad.
1950: Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India
In 1950, Nepal and India signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, establishing a closer relationship characterized by an open border, free movement of people, and strong cultural ties.
1950: Friendship Treaty with India
In 1950, a friendship treaty was signed between Nepal and India.
1950: Historical Life Expectancy
In 1950, the estimated life expectancy at birth in Nepal was 35 years.
1950: Ineffective Government
The ineffective post-1950 government stunted the country's economic growth and development.
1951: Advent of Democracy
After the advent of democracy in 1951, Nepali literature flourished.
1951: Opening to Westerners
In 1951, Nepal officially opened to westerners and became a popular destination.
1951: Expansion of International Trade
In 1951, Nepal's international trade greatly expanded following the establishment of democracy.
1951: Nepali Congress Overthrows Rana Regime
In 1951, Nepali Congress was successful in overthrowing the Rana regime.
1951: Introduction of Parliamentary Democracy
In 1951, parliamentary democracy was introduced in Nepal.
August 1955: Diplomatic Relations with China
On August 1955, Nepal established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, marking the beginning of formal ties between the two nations.
1955: Admission to the United Nations
In 1955, Nepal was admitted to the United Nations.
1955: King Mahendra's Reign Begins
King Mahendra ruled from 1955 to 1972.
1957: Establishment of Nepal Academy
Nepal Academy, an institution for the promotion of arts and culture in Nepal, was established in 1957.
1958: Contribution to UN Peacekeeping
Since 1958, Nepal has been a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, having contributed over 119,000 personnel to 42 missions.
1959: Arrival of Tibetan Refugees
Tibetan refugees began arriving in Nepal in 1959.
1960: End of Democratic Experiment
In 1960, King Mahendra scrapped the democratic experiment and initiated the Panchayat system.
1960: Treaty of Peace and Friendship with China
In 1960, Nepal and China signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, solidifying their relationship based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
1960: Friendship Treaty with China
In 1960, a friendship treaty was signed between Nepal and China.
1960: Suspension of Parliamentary Democracy
In 1960, parliamentary democracy was suspended by Nepalese monarchs.
1961: Population Growth Rate
The annual population growth rate was 1.35% between 2001 and 2011, compared to an average of 2.25% between 1961 and 2001.
1962: Initiation of Partyless Panchayat System
In 1962, King Mahendra initiated the partyless Panchayat system.
1963: Declaration Against Untouchability
In 1963, Nepal declared untouchability to be illegal.
1964: Publication Mentioning Pre-Dravidian and Dravidian Substratum
In 1964, Stella Kramrisch mentioned a substratum of pre-Dravidians and Dravidians in Nepal before the Newars.
1972: King Birendra's Reign Begins
King Birendra ruled from 1972 to 2001.
1973: Enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act
In 1973, the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act was enacted, establishing the system of national parks and protected areas.
1985: Start of Economic Liberalization
In 1985, Nepal initiated economic liberalization policies.
1990: Acceleration of Liberalization
After 1990, Nepal's economic liberalization picked up pace.
1990: Establishment of Multiparty Democracy
In 1990, the People's Movement forced King Birendra to accept constitutional reforms and establish a multiparty democracy.
1990: Overthrow of Panchayat System
In 1990, the joint civil resistance launched by the United Left Front and Nepali Congress overthrew the Panchayat.
1990: Mortality Rate
In 1990, the maternal mortality rate in Nepal was 901, and the infant mortality rate was 139.8 per thousand live births.
1996: Start of the Maoist Insurgency
In 1996, the Maoist Party started a violent bid to replace the royal parliamentary system.
2001: Absentee People
From 2001 to 2011, the census also noted some 1.9 million absentee people, over a million more than in 2001.
2001: Literacy Rate Increase
In 2001, Nepal's overall literacy rate (for the population age five years and above) was 54.1%.
2001: Royal Palace Massacre
In 2001, the King and Crown Prince died in a massacre in the royal palace, leading to Gyanendra inheriting the throne.
April 2004: WTO Membership
On April 23, 2004, Nepal became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
2005: Suspension of Parliamentary Democracy
In 2005, parliamentary democracy was suspended by Nepalese monarchs for a second time.
2006: Maoists Enter Political Process
After the Maoists entered the political process in 2006, they emerged as the third largest party.
2006: Maoist Party Joins Mainstream Politics
In 2006, the Maoist Party joined mainstream politics after the peaceful revolution.
May 2008: Declaration of a Federal Republic
On May 28, 2008, Nepal was declared a federal republic, ending its status as the world's only Hindu kingdom.
2008: Establishment of Secular Republic
In 2008, a secular republic was established in Nepal, marking the end of the world's last Hindu monarchy.
2010: Poverty Rate
In 2010, the population below the international poverty line (US$1.90 per person per day) in Nepal was 15%.
2011: Religion Census
According to the 2011 census, Hinduism was the most followed religion in Nepal, encompassing 81.3% of the population.
2011: Household Possessions
According to the 2011 census, the percentage of households possessing radio was 50.82%, television 36.45%, cable TV 19.33%, and computer 7.28%.
2011: National Dress Removal
In 2011, the Daura-Suruwal and Gunyu-Cholo were removed as the national dresses for men and women respectively to eliminate favouritism.
2011: Literacy Rate
In 2011, the overall literacy rate in Nepal was 65.9% for the population age five years and above.
2012: Secular Constitution
In 2012, Nepal's constitution declared the country secular, ensuring religious and cultural freedom while protecting the country's immemorial religious culture.
2014: Arable Land Irrigated
As of 2014, just 28% of Nepal's arable land was irrigated.
2014: Urban Population Estimate
In 2014, approximately 18.3% of Nepal's population resided in urban areas, marking Nepal as one of the fastest urbanizing yet least urbanized countries.
September 2015: Promulgation of the New Constitution
On September 20, 2015, the new constitution was promulgated, making Nepal a federal democratic republic.
2015: Adoption of the Constitution
In 2015, the Constitution of Nepal was adopted, affirming the country as a federal parliamentary republic.
2015: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Since 2015, Nepal has been referred to as the 'Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal'.
2015: Sustained Protests from Ethnocentric Nationalist Movements
The transition period between 2006 and 2015 saw sustained protests from ethnocentric nationalist movements.
2016: Road Infrastructure
As of 2016, Nepal had just over 11,890 km of paved roads, 16,100 km of unpaved roads, and just 59 km of railway line.
2016: Foreign Trade Amount
By the fiscal year 2016, Nepal's foreign trade amounted to Rs 1.06 trillion, a twenty-three fold increase from Rs 45.6 billion in 1990/91.
2016: Public Health Insurance Plan
In 2016, Nepal initiated a public health insurance plan covering health treatments up to Rs 50,000 for a premium of Rs 2500 per year for a family of five.
2016: Intentional Homicide Rate
In 2016, Nepal's intentional homicide rate was 2.16 per 100,000.
2016: Slavery Index
In 2016, The Global Slavery Index estimated that 234,600 people or 0.82% of the population, were considered enslaved.
2017: Press Council Nepal classification
According to the Press Council Nepal classification, as of 2017 of the 833 publications producing original content, ten national dailies and weeklies are rated A+ class.
2017: Education Statistics
By 2017, Nepal had over seven million students enrolled in 35,601 schools, with a 97% net primary enrollment rate.
2017: Life Expectancy
In 2017, the estimated life expectancy at birth in Nepal was 71 years.
2017: First Election According to New Constitution
In the aftermath of the 2017 elections, the first one according to the new constitution, NCP became the ruling party.
2017: Anti-Conversion Law
Nepal passed a more stringent anti-conversion law in 2017.
2017: Volleyball Declared National Sport
Volleyball was declared as the national sport of Nepal in 2017.
2018: Immigration Statistics
Around 2,000 immigrants, half of them Chinese, applied for work permits in 2018/19.
2018: Road Network
As of 2018, all district headquarters (except Simikot) had been connected to the road network in Nepal.
2018: Poverty Reduction
In 2018, Nepal made significant progress in poverty reduction, bringing the population below the international poverty line to 9.3%.
2018: Foreign Exchange Remittances
In 2018, Nepal's foreign exchange remittances were US$8.1 billion, constituting 28.0% of GDP.
2018: Military Expenditure
In 2018, Nepal's military expenditure was $398.5 million, representing approximately 1.4% of its GDP.
2018: International Visitors
In 2018, the number of international visitors to Nepal crossed one million for the first time.
July 2019: Foreign Exchange Reserves
In July 2019, Nepal's foreign exchange reserves were at US$9.5 billion.
August 2019: Voice Telephony Subscription Rate
According to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority MIS August 2019 report, voice telephony subscription rate was at 2.70% of total population for fixed phones and 138.59% for mobile.
2019: Forest Landscape Integrity Index Ranking
In 2019, Nepal had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.23/10, ranking it 45th globally out of 172 countries.
2019: Global Peace Index Ranking
In 2019, Nepal was ranked 76 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index (GPI).
2019: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
In 2019, Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) was $34.186 billion.
2019: Press Freedom Ranking
In 2019, Reporters Without Borders ranked Nepal at 106th in the world in terms of press freedom.
2019: Toilet Prevalence
In 2019, toilet prevalence rate reached 99% in Nepal.
2019: Government Budget
In the fiscal year 2019, the government's budget was about $13.71 billion.
2020: Broadband Access
By 2020, broadband access is expected to reach 90% of the population in Nepal.
December 2022: Formation of Coalition Government
In December 2022, a coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal was formed after the 2022 general election resulted in a hung parliament.
2022: Import Restrictions
In 2022, Nepal limited the import of non-essential goods after its foreign currency reserves dropped.
2022: Recovery of Artifacts
In 2022, the Barakat Gallery's London branch relinquished a 16th-century carved wooden Torana and a 17th-century stone statue of a kneeling devotee, both taken from sacred sites near Kathmandu.
2023: Looted Artifacts Found
In 2023, Nepalese artifacts suspected of being looted were found in various museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
July 2024: K. P. Sharma Oli becomes Prime Minister for fourth time
On 15 July 2024, K. P. Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepali Prime minister for the fourth time.
2024: Global Innovation Index Ranking
In 2024, Nepal was ranked 109th in the Global Innovation Index.
2027: Next General Elections
The next general elections in Nepal are scheduled for 2027.
