Ethnicity, Marriage and Marital Status in Nepal

The trends and patterns of marriage and marital status are gradually changing worldwide, including in Nepal.These changes are influenced by various factors, including age, education, employment, income, and ethnic background.This paper examines the evolving patterns of marriage and marital status among individuals in Nepal over the past 25 years (one generation), utilizing longitudinal data from the Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) spanning from 1995/96 to 2022/23.Nepali society is undergoing a progressive shift from traditional to modern and from underdeveloped to developing, as socio-economic changes take effect.This paper argues that as long as ethnic diversity persists within the population, noticeable differences in marital status will continue to exist across ethnic groups, underscoring a significant association between ethnicity and marital status.Consequently, marriage and marital practices are primarily shaped by the social and cultural differences of various ethnic groups within the broader population, including Hill Caste, Mountain/Hill Janajati, Madheshi/Tarai Caste, Mountain/Hill Dalit, Madhesh/Tarai Janajati, Madhesh/ Tarai Dalit, and various religious and linguistic groups.