Country's gross national saving depleting
The country’s gross national saving is estimated to go downby 1.5 per cent to 43.9 per cent of the gross domestic product in this fiscal.
The ‘Economic Survey 2017-18’ presented byFinance Minister YubarajKhatiwada to the Parliament today shows that theavailability of national saving that can be mobilised to fulfil the needs ofinvestment is getting low.
Key macroeconomic indicators |
Indicators | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
GDP growth | 0.20% | 7.39% | 5.89% |
GDP | Rs 2253.16bn | Rs 2642.59bn | Rs 3007.24bn |
Per capita income | Rs 79,528 | Rs 92,031 | Rs103,335 |
Gross national saving | Rs 903.84bn | Rs 1198.54bn | Rs 1321.36bn |
Gross national saving | 40.11 % of GDP | 45.4 % of GDP | 43.9 % of GDP |
Gross capital formation | Rs 763.41bn | Rs 1208.67bn | Rs 1556.43bn |
Gross fixed capital formation | 28.73% of GDP | 31.81% of GDP | 34.11% of GDP |
Workers’ remittance | 29.52% of GDP | 26.32% of GDP | 24.25% of GDP |
Source: Economic Survey |
Gross national saving compared to GDP was at 45.4 per centof the GDP in the previous fiscal. “Since fiscal 2010-11 to 2015-16 the ratioof gross national saving to GDP was higher than the gross investment, however,the net investment is higher than the gross national saving from the lastfiscal,” states the Economic Survey. The gap in ratio between gross nationalsaving to GDP and gross investment to GDP is expected to widen by 0.4 per cent(negative) of the previous fiscal to 7.8 (negative) per cent this fiscal.
“This means the government has to attract foreigninvestment as the national saving is insufficient to fulfil investment needs,”said Suman Raj Aryal, director general of the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Due to low national saving the country’s current accountdeficit is also widening. The country’s current account deficit widened to Rs153.96 billion in the first eight months of this fiscal and it is expected towiden further till the end of this fiscal, as trade deficit is soaring,remittance growth is stagnant and inflow of foreign direct investment is low.
Though the gross national saving is insufficient to coverinvestment needs since the last fiscal, the gross domestic saving situation isexpected to reach a record high in a decade this fiscal to 15 per cent of theGDP. Nepalis’ saving habit has improved, but Nepalis still consume 85 per centof their GDP. Along with expansion in the economy at a rapid pace since thelast fiscal, the gross domestic saving situation has also improved, accordingto economists.
The country had witnessed 7.4 per cent growth in theprevious fiscal and the economy is expected to grow by 5.9 per cent thisfiscal.
Source:The Himalayan Times, 28th May 2018
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