Nepal Ranks 58th in Budget Transparency, Showing Improvement

Nepal has been ranked 58th in budget transparency out of 125 countries, with a score of 50 out of 100, as revealed by the 2023 Open Budget Survey. Despite surpassing the global average of 45, Nepal’s score is deemed ‘insufficient’ according to the survey’s standards.

The Open Budget Survey evaluates the accessibility, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of eight crucial budget documents across 109 equally weighted indicators, assigning scores on a scale of 0 to 100. A transparency score of 61 or above indicates a country’s capability to facilitate informed public discourse on budget matters.

Notably, Nepal’s score marks a significant upturn from the 2021 Open Budget Survey, where it scored 39. The nation’s highest transparency score of 52 was recorded in 2017.

In addition to its overall transparency score, Nepal received a Public Participation score of 31 and a Budget Oversight score of 46.

Among South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries, Nepal stands second in budget transparency, trailing behind India. It precedes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in this regard.

Interestingly, Nepal takes the lead in public participation among SAARC nations, surpassing Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India, highlighting a commendable aspect of its budgetary process.