KATHMANDU, July 5: The World Bank has maintained Nepal in the category of lower middle income country, with the nation failing to improve its per capita income.
Releasing its annual classification of 218 economies by income level, the World Bank noted that Nepal, which was upgraded to a lower middle income nation in 2020, has remained in the same bracket since then.
The classifications, updated each year on July 1, are based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of the previous year, expressed in US dollars. “A country’s income classification not only reflects its level of development, but it also has the potential to influence its development trajectory. It affects eligibility for official development assistance and concessional financing,” the World Bank stated.
Comprehensive reforms must to become lower-middle-income countr...
For 2026, the Bank revised the thresholds as follows: countries with GNI per capita of up to USD 1,135 are classified as low income; those between USD 1,136 and USD 4,495 fall under lower middle income; USD 4,496 to USD 13,935 are upper middle income; and above USD 13,935 are high income.
Within South Asia, Afghanistan is categorized as low income. Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, and India remain in the lower middle income group, while Sri Lanka and the Maldives are classified as upper middle income economies.
