Relations between Nepal and Germany

Brief Introduction
Nepal is situated in South Asia. Its ancient cultures, rich biodiversity, panoramic and beautiful Himalayan range, the Mount Everest (the highest peak of the world), birth place of Lord Buddha and Goddess Sita are the some major features contributing to make Nepal an unique country in the world. The total area of Nepal is 147,181 sq. km which harbors about 28.8 million populations (UN 2008). Nepal abolished 240 years-old monarchy and became a republic in May 2008 after the election of historic constituent assembly.


Germany is located in the heart of Western Europe. It is the continent's most industrialized country. The total area of Germany is 357,027 sq. km and total inhabitants of Germany are 82.5 millions (UN 2008). Total per capita income (PCI) of Germany is 38,860 US$ (World Bank, 2007). If we compared Nepal with Germany in terms of the total area, population and PCI, Germany is greater than Nepal by 2.53, 3 and 114 times respectively. It is famous on technological achievements, celebrated composers, philosophers and poets. It comes in the top position in the world's economic prosperity and technological advancement. So Nepal including other countries should learn many good things from the Germany's innovations and development initiatives.

Diplomatic relations
The diplomatic relations between Nepal and Germany (then West Germany) was tied in 4 April, 1958 (Nepalese Embassy in Germany, 2008). Since 5 July 1965, Nepalese Embassy in Germany is in operation. Similarly German Embassy was established in Nepal in 1963. Now, the Government of Nepal has appointed Honorary Consuls General in different cities namely Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne and Hamburg of Germany.

Economic Cooperation
After establishment of diplomatic relations, Germany has started its economic cooperation to Nepal in 1961 in the form of technical assistance for the establishment of the Technical Training Institute at Thapathali.

Now Germany is one of the key countries to support in Nepal's development initiatives. Germany has been supporting on various sectors in Nepal namely socio-economy, governance, natural resources management, energy and hydropower, roads and infrastructure, urban area development, research and technology, education and capacity enhancement and institutionalization of the ongoing peace process etc. These programmes are based on the priority areas of Nepal Government and the major thrust areas of German policy towards Nepal. Establishment of sustainable peace, deepening democracy, promotion of human rights, alleviation of poverty, and consolidation of good governance and institutions are some of the guiding principles to continue the relationship between two countries.

Federal Ministry of Development Cooperation (BMZ) of Germany, the German Development Bank (KfW), German Technical Services (GTZ), German Academic Exchange Programme (DAAD) and German Volunteers Service (DED) are very active institutions on the behalf of German Government in promoting Nepal's development.

The number of Nepalese nationals in Germany
Every year a lot of Nepalese visit different countries including Germany for different purposes. The official figure of the German Government (as of April 2008) shows that there are 2,509 Nepalese in Germany. Among them, 1616 are males, 889 females and 4 are unidentified. In the recent years, the number of Nepali students coming to Germany is in increasing trend. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) grants regular scholarships every year to about 25 students to study in different Universities of Germany.

The number of Germans Nationals in Nepal
However the number of German national who visited to Nepal is varied year to year. The information provided by Nepal Tourism Board in 2007, altogether 21,323 German Nationals visited Nepal. This number comprises about 4% of the total tourists who visited Nepal in 2007.