Key findings are:
- Food insecurity across the country has decreased slightly compared to estimates taken in 2020, however remains above the pre-COVID-19 levels. In June 2021, 15.4 percent of households had inadequate food consumption. 7 percent of households reported to have insufficient food stock to meet their household’s needs and 10.9 percent of households adopted a negative coping behaviour to address food shortages.
- The nutrition situation of children between 6-23 months of age, measured by the minimum dietary diversity, has also improved in 2021: the proportion of children not meeting minimum recommended dietary diversity declined to 38.5 percent from 45.9 and 42.7 in April and December 2020 respectively.
- The survey confirmed the unrelenting pressure of COVID-19 on income and jobs, exposing more Nepalese households to livelihood stress. In June 2021, 13.5 percent of households reported job loss and 44.6 percent a reduction in income.
- Loss of income source was found to be more common for certain types of livelihoods, namely daily wage labourers, tourism sector, households receiving remittances and large and medium businesses and trade, and households with a disabled person.
- Food insecurity was more prevalent among household that experienced income reduction and job loss and certain livelihood types. Similarly, households with low education levels, a chronically ill member, female-headed households, households in the lowest wealth quintiles and households living in rural areas were found to be more food insecure.