The UN General Assembly, at its 81st session, unanimously adopted a resolution extending the preparatory period for Nepal and Bangladesh to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. Nepal’s graduation date moves from 24 November 2026 to 24 November 2029 – a three-year extension (reported 30 October 2026).
Key facts
| Decision by | UN General Assembly, 81st session (adopted unanimously) |
| Old graduation date | 24 November 2026 |
| New graduation date | 24 November 2029 |
| Other country | Bangladesh (same extension) |
| Nepal’s request | Sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) chair on 13 May 2026 |
| President of the 81st UNGA | Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh) |
Why Nepal asked for more time
- Changing economic and political conditions, geopolitical tension and global supply-chain problems
- Possible effect on remittance inflows
- Risk of losing duty-free, quota-free market access for exports
- Delay in preparing the Smooth Transition Strategy
Nepal and the LDC category – timeline
- 1971: Nepal included in the LDC list
- 2015: first met graduation criteria
- 2018: graduation deferred (earthquake and disasters)
- 2021: CDP triennial review recommended graduation; UNGA endorsed it on 24 November 2021 with a five-year preparatory period (longer than the usual three years because of Covid-19)
- 2026: extended by three more years to 2029
The three LDC criteria
The CDP uses GNI per capita, the Human Assets Index (HAI) and the Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI). Nepal qualified by meeting the HAI and EVI thresholds, while its GNI per capita stayed below the threshold.
Practice MCQs
1. Nepal’s new LDC graduation date is:
a) 24 Nov 2026 b) 24 Nov 2027 c) 24 Nov 2029 d) 24 Nov 2030
Answer: c) 24 Nov 2029
2. Which other country got the same LDC extension?
a) Bhutan b) Bangladesh c) Myanmar d) Laos
Answer: b) Bangladesh
3. Nepal has been in the LDC category since:
a) 1961 b) 1971 c) 1981 d) 1991
Answer: b) 1971
4. Which LDC criterion did Nepal NOT meet in 2021?
a) Human Assets Index b) Economic Vulnerability Index c) GNI per capita d) All were met
Answer: c) GNI per capita
Related
Sources: The Kathmandu Post (30 Oct 2026); IANS; Nepal News economic brief (30 Oct 2026).
Why this matters for Lok Sewa
- LDC graduation is a key topic in the economy and international relations sections, and in Section Officer contemporary issues papers.
- Link it with the periodic plans and the SDGs when writing long answers.
Quick practice questions
- What is Nepal’s new LDC graduation date? Answer: 24 November 2029.
- Which other country received the same extension? Answer: Bangladesh.
- Which UN body adopted the extension? Answer: The UN General Assembly, at its 81st session.