The proportion of male to female child labourers in Nepal is unknown. As most working children are either engaged in agricultural labour or in the informal sector, they are easily unreported. The situation in the organized sector could, however, be assessed. Some estimates state that as many as 200,000 children may be working in urban areas. Approximately 90 percent of Nepal's population is rural, and the majority of rural people depend primarily on subsistence agricultural production.
Children generally participate in the family labour force by necessity.
Work in the family can teach the child skills, and contribute to her or his social and emotional development. Distinction must be made between domestic child labour, performed for the family, and nondomestic child labour, performed outside the home. Domestic child labour is not necessarily exploitative, providing it does not deprive children of their rights to education, participation, recreation, health or other needs for proper growth and development. Many Nepali children, however, are engaged in labour that is exploitative and injurious to their well-being. Children work as household servants, construction labourers, carpet weavers, restaurant servants, tea pickers and porters, among dozens of other occupations.