Background: Historically, the process of nutrition transition begins with changes in economic structures
which move away from agrarian economies to successful industrialisation, with high economic
growth, urbanisation and increased real per capita income. Objective: The objective is to identify
where Nepal is in economic transition and whether economic transition is considered as one of the
proximate determinants of nutrition transition in Nepal. Results: Nepal’s position in the economic
transition has been identified by using Popkin’s framework which is scaled from Pattern I to Pattern
V. The time series trends indicated that new patterns of economic transition had been observed during
1995-2010, which was similar to the pattern IV of the Nutrition Transition as described by Popkin.
The national income of Nepal increased over the past four decades. The GDP of Nepal has shown an
annual increase at a rate of 3.92 per cent between 1970 and 2010. Conclusion: Economic growth and
agricultural trade liberalization have induced plant fats supply in Nepal. Tourism has also transferred
the taste and preferences of western foods to tourist destinations and urban centres, including potential
negative health consequences related to excess consumption of fat, sugar and process foods
