Bangladesh and Nepal are set for LDC graduation in November 2026, both must navigate bilateral trade agreements to limit revenue loss and remain competitive in the international market
Nepal’s recent Time Use Survey (2019) revealed that women of working age spend 5.9 hours daily on domestic work versus just 2.25 hours for men. Strategic investments in care infrastructure, drawing from lessons from the region, could free up women’s time for formal employment while simultaneously creating new jobs in the care services sector – thereby boosting Nepal’s female labor force participation rate from its current level of 28.7% in 2023.