Kathmandu, Sept 28: Nepalis spent more than Rs 209 billion on overseas education and travel in fiscal year 2025/26, driven by rising numbers of students studying abroad and growing demand for international travel.
According to a Ministry of Finance report, Rs 141 billion flowed out of the country for foreign education and Rs 67.18 billion for overseas travel during the year.
Nepal earned Rs 90.05 billion from foreign visitors, while Nepalis spent Rs 119 billion abroad under the broader travel category.
Foreign education has become a major source of foreign currency outflow. Government data show 548,717 Nepalis obtained No Objection Certificates to study in 83 countries between fiscal years 2020/21 and 2025/26. During the six years, Rs 556.68 billion left the country for education.
Students spend money on tuition, accommodation, food, transportation and other expenses. Quality education, better job prospects and international exposure remain major reasons for the growing preference for overseas study.
The outflow comes as Nepal continues to receive record remittances. Remittance inflows jumped 37.1 percent to Rs 2.363 trillion in 2025/26, compared with 19.2 percent growth in the previous year.
Meanwhile, Nepalis spent Rs 67.18 billion on foreign travel last year. India, Thailand, the UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Japan remain popular destinations.
Affordable package tours, higher household incomes and remittance backed spending have helped fuel foreign travel. Thailand, Dubai and Malaysia have become particularly popular for short holidays, while India attracts large numbers of religious and cultural travellers.
Foreign travel expenditure includes spending on air tickets, accommodation, food, transportation, shopping and entertainment. Corporate spending on overseas training, conferences, exhibitions and business visits is also recorded under travel expenditure.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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