The DHS Program

Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youth in Nepal: Trends and Determinants (English) 

Document Type

Further Analysis

Publication Topic(s)

Fertility and Fertility Preferences, Youth

Country(s)

Nepal

Survey

Nepal DHS, 2011

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Khatiwada, Naresh, Pushkar Raj Silwal, Rajendra Bhadra, and Tirhta Man Tamang 2013. Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youth In Nepal: Trends and Determinants: Further Analysis of the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. DHS Further Analysis Reports No. 76. Calverton, Maryland, USA: Nepal Ministry of Health and Population, New ERA, and ICF International.

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Publication Date

March 2013

Publication ID

FA76

Abstract:

In Nepal the practice of early marriage is common and is deeply rooted in the culture. The legal minimum age at marriage in Nepal is 18 with the guardian’s consent and 20 without the need for the guardian’s consent (the Muluki Ain, 2019 BS). In fact, however, most women have married at younger ages. For women age 25-49 the median age at first marriage was 17.5 years, and for men age 25-49 it was 21.6 years. Early marriage and resulting early sexual debut can lead to a number of potentially adverse outcomes, including unplanned pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted infections. In Nepal the prevalence of HIV is estimated to be 0.3 percent in the general population age 15-49. According to the 2010 report of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS on the global AIDS epidemic, an estimated 64,000 adults and children in Nepal were living with HIV at the end of 2009 (up from 60,000 in 2001). Of these, 20,000 were women age 15 and older. As in other developing countries, transmission of HIV in Nepal is driven by factors such as poverty, low literacy levels, low levels of condom use, cultural and religious factors, and stigma and discrimination. There are concentrated epidemics in certain high-risk populations in Nepal. Also, young people are particularly at risk. In 2011, only one-quarter of female youth and one-third of male youth age 15-24 had comprehensive knowledge of HIV and AIDS prevention.