Relationship dossier
Nepal
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation on labor migration and development financing, alongside concerns about worker protection
Nepal toward Saudi Arabia
+25The Nepali government has cooperated with Saudi Arabia on the recruitment and employment of Nepali workers through a bilateral labor agreement. The scope of implementation and worker-protection measures is unclear.
Saudi Arabia toward Nepal
+30Saudi Arabia has provided development financing for projects in Nepal and has cooperated with Nepal through a bilateral labor agreement governing the recruitment of Nepali workers.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a practical cooperative foundation in labor migration and development financing, without a prominent bilateral dispute shaping ties. Worker protections and the implementation of labor arrangements are significant concerns, and the breadth of cooperation beyond these areas is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Nepal and Saudi Arabia maintain practical government cooperation centered on the employment of Nepali workers in Saudi Arabia. A bilateral labor agreement provides a framework for recruitment, while Saudi development financing has supported projects in Nepal. Labor protections and the implementation of recruitment arrangements remain important areas of concern.
Areas of tension
- Concerns about the protection and treatment of Nepali migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
Key developments
Nepal and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral labor agreement concerning the recruitment of Nepali workers.
Saudi development financing supported projects in Nepal.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral labor protections are unclear.
- Details and current status of Saudi development financing for Nepal are limited.