Nepal still struggles with a pervasive child labour problem, although the absolute number of youngsters working before adulthood is diminishing.
The statistics reveal that child labour is still significant, although the overall trend is declining: 2.6 million in 1998, 1.6 million in 2008 and 1.1 million in 2018. According to a study by the International Labour Organization (published in 2021), over a million Nepali kids under seventeen were engaged in work instead of school. The report provided data on general child labour and its worst forms. Children had to do household chores and were often involved in agricultural work in the family or work for neighbours. Around 20 per cent worked in hazardous occupations, exposing them to dangerous and unhealthy conditions.