The 2002 Human Development Report South Asia published this week by the Mahbub ul Haq Development Centre confirms what we knew all along: South Asia is one of the poorest regions in the world, and among them Nepal is the poorest. Examples: the number of people living below the poverty line in Nepal is 42 percent, the highest among South Asian countries. Although the infant mortality rate in Nepal have gone down dramatically, at 72 deaths per 1,000 live births it is still higher than most other countries in the region. Female illiteracy out of total population of women is 76 percent?by far the highest in South Asia. The ratio of people per doctor is several times worse in Nepal than any other country: 20,000 per doctor. The second worst is Bangladesh with 5,500 people per doctor. And the clincher: with an average lifespan of 59 Nepalis live the shortest lives among South Asians.