Episode notes
In the bustling alleyways of Kathmandu, where ancient temples cast shadows over buzzing IT hubs and trendy youth-run cafes, a quiet but fateful drama is unfolding. Here lives a generation caught between a past marred by political upheaval and economic stagnation and a future filled with digital opportunity. They are Nepal’s Generation Z, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s.
Their importance cannot be overestimated. Nepal has what is called a “youth bulge”: 52% of the country’s population are young people aged 7 to 24. Their collective choices will determine the nation’s trajectory for decades to come, making them perhaps the most important variable in Nepal’s future.
The central question facing the country is simple, but its implications are enormous: Will these young people be forced to migrate abroad, becoming a “lost” genera ...