Regional Mortality and Life Expectancy in Nepal: Implications for Public Health and Policy (NPHC 2021)

Abstract

Regional differences in mortality and life expectancy are very important in evidence-based public health planning in Nepal. This article aims to examine mortality rates, life expectancy, and the causes of deaths between ecological zones and provinces based on the 2021 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) and records. The method of the study was a descriptive cross-sectional design, aimed at analyzing life expectancy trends (1954-2021), infant, child, and under-five mortality rates, survival to age 60, and COVID-19 and total deaths, disaggregated by sex, ecological region, and province. General demographic instruments, such as trend analysis and life table measurements, were used to measure disparities and temporal variations, while comparative analysis illuminated disparities across regions and sexes. National life expectancy at birth was 71.4 years in 2021 and the life expectancy of females was 5.6 years longer than that of males. The median age at death was 80 years and the under-five death rate was 22.4 per 1000 live births, with higher death rates being recorded in remote and less affluent provinces. COVID-19 accounted for 4.8 percent of all mortality, a higher rate in urban centers. The other provinces, like Lumbini and Karnali, had lower life expectancy and increased child mortality. Such results highlight the improvements in health in Nepal, as well as display gender and regional disparities. The shift in chronic disease fatality and susceptibility to health catastrophes underscores the necessity of equity-based intervention, health care infrastructure, and multisectoral population health, so that a sustainable, equitable population health improvement can be achieved.