Kathmandu, July 20: The number of Nepalis leaving for foreign employment fell below 800,000 in the last fiscal year, marking the first annual decline in three years as 792,187 workers secured overseas jobs.
Data released by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) shows 792,187 Nepalis obtained labour permits in FY 2026/27, down by 47,079, or 5.6 per cent, from the 839,266 recorded in FY 2025/26.
Men continued to dominate labour migration, accounting for 697,091 departures, while 95,091 women left the country for overseas employment during the year.
The United Arab Emirates remained the top destination, attracting 183,580 Nepali workers. Malaysia followed with 132,646 workers, narrowly ahead of Qatar, which received 132,051 Nepalis. Saudi Arabia ranked fourth with 124,583 workers. Romania also remained a notable European destination, employing 33,920 Nepali workers.
The figures underline Nepal’s continued dependence on Gulf nations and Malaysia for foreign employment, despite a modest decline in overall labour migration.
District-wise, Jhapa sent the largest number of migrant workers, with 16,286 people leaving for jobs abroad during the fiscal year.
Among other major labour-sending districts, Dhanusha recorded 15,698 departures, followed by Morang with 15,336, Sarlahi with 12,183, Mahottari with 11,899, Dang with 11,011, and Saptari with 10,264 workers.
Foreign employment remains one of Nepal’s largest sources of remittance income, with hundreds of thousands of workers continuing to seek jobs abroad each year despite the recent slowdown in departures.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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