Nepal is facing a deepening crisis—but it’s not just about politics or poverty. It’s about people. Every year, thousands of talented young Nepalis—engineers, doctors, IT experts, nurses, and students—are packing their bags and flying abroad, not for vacation, but for good. This ongoing brain drain is silently weakening the foundation of our nation. And the most heartbreaking part? Our government is watching—doing almost nothing.
According to the Department of Foreign Employment, more than 4 million Nepalis are working abroad. In 2024 alone, around 120,000 students took the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to study in countries like Australia, the USA, and Japan. And most of them never return.
A report from the National Planning Commission shows that over 60% of technical graduates—especially from fields like engineering, medicine, and IT—plan to settle abroad permanently.
“When our best minds leave the country, we are not just losing workers. We are losing doctors who could save lives here, engineers who could build our cities, and thinkers who could change Nepal’s future,”
Why Are Youth Leaving Nepal?
TheHamro.com spoke to students, professionals, and returnees across Kathmandu, Pokhara, and beyond. Their reasons were surprisingly similar:
Poor Salary: A qualified engineer in Nepal earns less than a waiter in Dubai.
No Research, No Innovation: “There’s no proper lab, no funding. How do we grow?” says an IT graduate from Pulchowk who is now in Canada.
Corruption and Instability: People are tired of political dramas. They want a stable, dignified life.
Better Life Abroad: Not luxury, just respect, good pay, and growth. That’s what they say they find abroad but not here.
A Government That Doesn’t Seem to Care
Instead of creating policies to bring our youth back or stop them from leaving, the government continues to treat this issue like background noise.
No National Talent Retention Policy
No incentives for returning experts
No real plan to boost innovation or research
Even scholarship programs that send students abroad (like MBBS or IT training) have no follow-up. Students go—and they stay gone.
“We get more attention for sending workers abroad than for creating jobs here. It’s a messed-up system.”
Who Gains From This Loss?
Let’s not pretend everyone is losing. The remittance economy makes up 23% of Nepal’s GDP. For some in power, it’s easier to let people leave, send money, and forget about real development.
Bureaucrats, agents, and even colleges are all part of a system that encourages people to go. No one is held responsible for the brain drain, and so, it continues.
Final Word: Are We Ready to Lose a Generation?
This isn’t just about people leaving—it’s about hope leaving. We are losing a generation of thinkers, doers, and dreamers. And if the government continues to ignore this crisis, soon we’ll have to import skilled people for jobs that our own youth should be doing.
Nepal is a land of potential, but we need action—not speeches. It’s time to ask hard questions, and it’s time for the government to answer.
