Can Gen Z shape a new Nepal?

Oct 14, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Pranaya Rana, a Kathmandu-based journalist known for covering Nepalese politics, dives into the surge of activism from Gen Z. He explores how a ban on social media ignited protests, revealing deep-seated frustrations over corruption and political instability. As protests escalated, Rana highlights the youth's choice of a 73-year-old interim prime minister, sparking debates about political maturity and the potential for genuine change in Nepal. Can this generation reshape their country's future amidst complex challenges?

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INSIGHT

Musical Chairs Stunt Long-Term Progress

Nepal's frequent rotating prime ministers discourage long-term development and incentivise short-term, self-interested politics.
Yet macro indicators improved mainly via remittances, not domestic structural change.

ANECDOTE

Viral Images Spark Street Action

Gen Z in Kathmandu organised large, decentralised protests using Instagram and TikTok, spotlighting corruption and nepotism.
Viral images of politicians' children flaunting luxury fuelled public anger and mobilisation.

INSIGHT

Ban Was A Trigger, Not The Root Cause

The government's ban on 26 social platforms was a trigger, not the root cause; social media was the main outlet for young dissent.
The ban accelerated planning and drew wider participation once platforms were restored.

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At the beginning of September 2025, within 48 hours, Nepal’s government had been toppled, and more than 70 people had been killed, with many more injured. The trigger for all of this had been a government ban on 26 social media platforms, but the primary reasons ran much deeper. Nepal became a republic in 2008, following a decade long civil war, but since then, the promised stability and prosperity have failed to materialise. The country has been subjected to short term coalition governments, resembling a game of musical chairs between certain political parties. And it was Nepal’s Gen Z, who decided to make their frustrations over the lack of opportunities, the social inequality and the existing political system known, with their digitally driven anti-corruption protests. In the aftermath, the protestors gave their approval to a new interim prime minister and demanded new elections, set for March next year.

Asia is increasingly witnessing a mood for change amongst its young people, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka and last year’s student-led revolution in Bangladesh. But very few protests of this nature have translated into fundamental social change. And it remains to be seen if the decision by Nepal’s Gen Z, to place their trust in 73-year-old Sushila Karki as the new Interim Prime Minister, reflects their own political maturity. So, on this week’s Inquiry we’re asking, ‘Can Gen Z shape a new Nepal?’

Contributors: Prof Jeevan Sharma, Chair of South Asia and International Development, University of Edinburgh, UK Pranaya Rana, Journalist and Writer, Kalam Weekly, Kathmandu, Nepal Prof Sreeradha Datta, International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University, Haryana, India Dr Rumela Sen, Lecturer and Faculty Director, Master’s in International Affairs programme, Columbia University, USA

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Technical Producer: James Bradshaw Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Anti government protest in Kathmandu. Credit: Sunil Pradhan/Anadolu via Getty Images)