Relationship dossier
Nepal
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Longstanding cooperation, including Gurkha service and UK assistance, alongside disputes over veterans’ rights
Nepal toward United Kingdom
+25Nepal has participated in the arrangements enabling Nepali citizens to serve in the British Army as Gurkhas. The Nepalese government has also raised Gurkha veterans’ pay and pension concerns with the United Kingdom, creating recurring friction.
United Kingdom toward Nepal
+40The United Kingdom has recruited Nepali citizens into the British Army under Gurkha arrangements and provided development and humanitarian assistance to Nepal, including support after the 2015 earthquake. UK policy changes have also addressed settlement rights for some Gurkha veterans, though disputes over their treatment and benefits have persisted.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship rests on durable Gurkha recruitment arrangements and sustained UK development and humanitarian assistance, alongside recurring disputes over Gurkha veterans’ pay, pensions and rights. These features make the relationship substantially cooperative but not free of significant friction.
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 the United Kingdom have a longstanding relationship that includes Gurkha recruitment into the British Army and UK development and humanitarian assistance. Cooperation has been substantial, including British support following Nepal’s 2015 earthquake. Disputes over the treatment, pay and pensions of Gurkha veterans have periodically strained relations.
Areas of tension
- Gurkha veterans’ pay and pension parity
- Settlement and other rights for Gurkha veterans
Key developments
The United Kingdom changed its settlement policy to allow eligible Gurkha veterans to apply to live in the UK.
The United Kingdom provided humanitarian assistance to Nepal following the 2015 earthquake.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent agreements on Gurkha veterans’ pay and pensions are unclear.
- The scale and priorities of current bilateral development cooperation are unclear.