Women's ownership of land on rise

KATHMANDU, June 27: Women's ownership of land is on the rise after the government introduced revenue discounts on land transactions. According to the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, a 25 percent discount on registration fees is provided if the land is transferred in the name of a woman.

According to the Department of Land Management and Archive (DoLMA), there are currently 11,467,382 registered landowners across the country. Of them, 6,983,851 are male, accounting for 61 percent of the total.

Similarly, the number of female landowners stands at 4,483,531, which is 39 percent of the total. Data maintained by the DoLMA show that the number of land transactions in women's names has been increasing each year.

According to the DoLMA, there are a total of 32,847,632 land parcels across the country. Of these, 22,024,170 are registered under men’s names, while 9,761,795 parcels are registered under women’s names. Although men make up 61 percent and women 39 percent of total landowners, the number of individuals involved in land transactions in the fiscal year 2023/2024 was nearly equal between men and women. During that period, 400,241 women and 403,451 men were involved in land transactions, indicating a balanced level of participation from the two genders in property dealings.

Land transactions are comparatively higher in urban areas, leading to an increase in female land ownership. However, in remote and rural regions, land transactions remain limited, and thus women’s land ownership has not grown significantly in those areas. If land registered in the husband’s name is to be transferred jointly to both husband and wife, only a nominal revenue fee of Rs 100 is required. However, when land registered in the wife’s name is transferred to both spouses, the full revenue fee must be paid.

Full revenue fees must be paid when land registered in a woman’s name is transferred to a man’s name. To promote women’s land ownership, the Land Issue Resolving Commission (LIRC) issues land titles in the joint names of both husband and wife (joint ownership). According to DoLMA officials, this initiative has contributed to the increasing trend of women owning land.

Across the country, as much as 3,072,000 hectares of government land, 9,399,000 hectares of public land, and 4,286 hectares registered under government offices have been identified. The government is responsible for the protection and record-keeping of these government and public lands.

The Government of Nepal (Division of Works) Regulations, 2074 BS, mandate the national record management and protection of government and public lands.

The 62nd Annual Report of the Auditor General includes records of government and public lands across the country. According to data provided by the DoLMA, the Auditor General’s report maintains comprehensive records of these lands.

During the initial surveying period, many land parcels registered in the name of the Government of Nepal as original owners have fallen into a state of complete disrepair. As a result, these government and public lands have not been fully entered into the Land Records Information Management System. Additionally, clear details of land distributed by the LIRC have not been obtained, and the available records are yet to be updated. Therefore, an accurate and comprehensive record of government and public lands is still pending.

The Auditor General has advised the DoLMA to verify and provide clear details on whether government-registered lands have been distributed to individuals, as such information is still unavailable.