Table 3 Description of the overall distribution of social determinants of health for the 753 Palikas (municipalities) in Nepal

Number of municipalities (n)

753

163

219

273

98

Median [IQR]

Median [IQR]

Median [IQR]

Median [IQR]

Median [IQR]

Percentage population under 5 years

10.187 [8.717, 12.115]

10.522 [9.042, 12.399]

9.471 [8.416, 11.514]

8.693 [7.375, 9.429]

7.234 [6.142, 8.094]

Percentage population over 65 years

5.433 [4.278, 7.225]

5.733 [4.524, 7.951]

5.003 [3.952, 6.259]

2.136 [1.170, 3.878]

4.723 [3.136, 5.581]

Percentage illiterate

30.148 [23.865, 37.470]

31.536 [26.253, 38.214]

28.120 [21.670, 36.534]

21.528 [17.599, 30.617]

14.509 [11.672, 17.872]

Percentage female

52.261 [50.510, 54.030]

52.296 [50.591, 54.229]

52.271 [50.442, 53.855]

50.781 [48.991, 52.889]

49.044 [47.528, 52.114]

Percentage population unemployed

2.609 [0.926, 5.435]

3.565 [1.311, 6.535]

1.566 [0.741, 3.646]

0.678 [0.284, 1.537]

0.044 [0.008, 0.088]

Percent households without a cell phone or landline

41.834 [27.838, 55.834]

47.398 [35.385, 61.349]

32.108 [18.834, 46.837]

11.285 [5.767, 21.472]

13.142 [2.619, 23.565]

Percentage households without piped water access

35.331 [17.238, 85.066]

27.586 [15.110, 72.282]

57.704 [22.768, 90.506]

68.420 [24.879, 79.374]

49.708 [33.338, 69.043]

Percentage households that use firewood as a fuel source

92.167 [62.252, 98.409]

96.931 [83.343, 98.790]

76.680 [53.917, 93.206]

48.175 [34.885, 70.239]

23.028 [4.607, 36.641]

Percentage of the population absent from place of residence

6.812 [3.649, 10.205]

6.841 [3.569, 10.618]

6.903 [3.780, 9.961]

5.749 [2.698, 8.714]

6.300 [3.097, 9.661]

Average number of people per household

4.898 [4.449, 5.590]

4.951 [4.509, 5.660]

4.770 [4.408, 5.473]

4.530 [4.212, 5.302]

4.059 [3.836, 4.491]

Percentage indigenous population

30.662 [8.616, 48.426]

35.651 [7.529, 57.454]

27.729 [8.447, 39.789]

36.217 [9.895, 41.03]

21.904 [14.38, 30.662]

Percentage of population received two MMR vaccines

69.45 [57.95, 82.55]

66.275 [55.025, 78]

77.275 [62.125, 87.975]

83.7 [75.7, 101.3]

73.925 [40.15, 76]

Percentage population malnourished

0.356 [0.098, 0.866]

0.341 [0.073, 0.915]

0.407 [0.159, 0.826]

0.253 [0.159, 0.354]

0.304 [0.189, 0.797]

Percentage population with nutrient deficiency

0.057 [0.016, 0.162]

0.049 [0.011, 0.139]

0.076 [0.024, 0.181]

0.024 [0.008, 0.079]

0.13 [0.071, 0.238]