Nepal Labour Migration
Workers abroad — annual permit count, destinations, sectors, monthly wages, and recruitment cost paid by workers
Labour Permits (FY2025/26)
🏛DoFE Nepal — Labour Migration Statistics920,000
Top Destination: UAE
🏛DoFE Nepal — Labour Migration Statistics310,430
Saudi Arabia (FY2025/26)
🏛DoFE Nepal — Labour Migration Statistics142,630
Qatar (FY2025/26)
🏛DoFE Nepal — Labour Migration Statistics92,290
Annual Labour Permits Issued
permits per fiscal year
Record annual permits in 2024/25 driven by massive UAE demand and European surge. Excludes India flows.
Latest — Top Destinations (Total: ~839,000 permits)
permits
UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar together account for over 65% of formal labor outflow. Romania is now a top-tier destination.
Destination Trend 2018–2025
permits per year
UAE surge and Malaysia correction are the most visible recent shifts. Romania and Japan trajectories continue to rise.
Sectors of Employment (FY2023/24, %)
% of permits
Construction and manufacturing remain the backbone. Skilled trades and care work (Europe/Japan) are growing.
Monthly Wages by Destination (NPR)
Typical entry-level (unskilled) and experienced (skilled) wage bands in Nepalese Rupees.
| Destination | Unskilled (NPR) | Skilled (NPR) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌐 Gulf (UAE/SA/QA) | Rs 35,000 | Rs 75,000 | Approx. range including overtime for general labor vs skilled trades. |
| 🇯🇵 Japan / S.Korea | Rs 160,000 | Rs 240,000 | Highest earning potential in Asia; requires language/skills test. |
| 🇪🇺 Europe (Romania/Croatia) | Rs 85,000 | Rs 130,000 | Growth in demand for hospitality and factory workers. |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | Rs 145,000 | Rs 210,000 | Mostly caregiver roles; high wage but restricted access. |
Cost to Migrate — Paid by Worker (USD)
| Country | Official policy | Actual cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Free Visa Free Ticket policy (2015) | $600–$1,300 | In practice Nepalis still pay agents medical, passport, training, tickets — official 'zero-cost' rarely met. |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | Free Visa Free Ticket policy (2015) | $700–$1,500 | Dubai hospitality especially leaks visa-fee-shifting onto workers. |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | Free Visa Free Ticket policy (2015) | $600–$1,200 | Reform-era enforcement reduced costs but agent fees persist. |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | NPR ~10,000 service charge cap | $900–$1,700 | 2018 freeze broke recruitment cost transparency; reopening 2022 brought higher informal fees. |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea (EPS) | NPR ~80,000–110,000 (G2G) | $600–$900 | Lowest formal cost — G2G channel. Korean-language training is biggest informal cost. |
| 🇯🇵 Japan (SSW) | No agent fee allowed | $1,500–$4,500 | In practice Nepali SSW workers pay JPY 250k–500k for language school + skills test prep. |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | Bilateral B2B agreement | $1,200–$3,500 | Caregiver corridor — high informal broker fees historically. |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | None — no bilateral agreement | $5,500–$11,000 | Most expensive per dollar of wage. Many fraud cases reported by DoFE. |