Datanomics: New Nepal PM faces challenges from graft to economic revival

Nepal has entered a new political phase after youth-led demonstrations forced out the previous government. The protests — mainly fuelled by economic frustrations — culminated in the appointment of former chief justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. She begins her term with a promise to fight corruption, which is the foremost challenge in the fragile economy.

 

Corruption and governance pressure

 

Nepal’s global corruption ranking has barely shifted. It ranged from 113-117 from 2019 to 2021, and though it improved slightly to 107 in 2024, the country still lies in the bottom half worldwide. Transparency International, which comes out with