Kathmandu, February 25

The Central Bureau of Statistics today released the findings of Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014.

The findings includes data on child mortality, nutrition, child health, water and sanitation, reproductive health, early childhood development, education and literacy, child protection, HIV and AIDS, access to mass media and use of information technology, well-being and tobacco and alcohol use in the country.

According to a joint statement issued here today by United Nations Children Fund and CBS, MICS is an internationally agreed household survey programme developed by UNICEF and constitutes one of the world’s largest sources of statistical information on children and women.

It assists countries in filling data gaps for monitoring human development in general and the situation of children and women in particular.

The round 5 of MICS was conducted by CBS in all 75 districts of Nepal from January to June 2014 with technical and financial support from UNICEF. The previous round of NMICS implemented in 2010 covered only the mid and far western regions of Nepal.

During the current round, NMICS tested water quality from sampled households and also measured children’s weight and height for the first time to estimate the nutritional status of children below five.

NMICS 2014 provides valuable information and evidence on the situation of children and women in Nepal before the country was hit by 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015.

The findings of the survey also fed into the Government’s Post Disaster Needs Assessment to identify the financial needs of post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction.

The NMICS survey findings will also contribute to the UN Secretary-General’s report to the UN General Assembly on the achievements of Millennium Development Goals.

The survey presents the data from an equity perspective by showcasing disparities concerning sex, region, area, education, household wealth, and other characteristics.

The national survey of 12,405 households included interviews with 14,162 women aged 15-49 and 5,349 mothers/caretakers of children under five years. In addition, water testing was also performed in 1,492 households.