Household characteristics such as housing conditions and ownership of consumer durables serve as indirect indicators of a household’s standard of living. Trends in these characteristics reflect a society’s material progress, which has implications both for the economic well being and overall health status of the population. This section examines changes in access to electricity, piped drinking water, toilet facilities, and exposure to the mass media over the last ten years and discusses how Nepalese households compare with households in other South and Southeast Asian countries with respect to these amenities. .
