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Nepal's Population Reaches 23.8 Million

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

Nepal's population reaches 23.8 million

KATHMANDU, July 6 (Xinhua) -- With a growth rate of 2.25 percent, Nepal's projected population in 2004 has reached 23.8 million, The Rising Nepal newspaper reported Tuesday.

The population growth in Nepal is one of the highest among the developing countries, the state-run English daily quoted Ramhari Aryal, head of the Population Directorate at the Nepali Ministry of Population and Environment, as saying.

"However, there have been remarkable achievements in social awareness, child and infant mortality rate, literacy rate and use of contraceptives in Nepal," Aryal said.

The fertility rate in Nepal has decreased to 4.1 percent from 5. 1 percent. Average life span of men has increased to 60.1 year from 55.9, and women to 60.7 from 53.4, while the child and infant mortality rate has decreased significantly in the past 10 years, he noted.

The most remarkable achievement in the past decade was the growth in the use of contraceptives from 25.1 percent to 39.3 percent, he said, adding, "These indicators are satisfactory, but there is enough room for improvement in the field of population management."

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