# Swarnim Wagle

_Senior Team Leader for Strategy, Policy and Partnerships (SPP) at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/swarnim-wagle
Last updated: 2026-10-07

> Dr. Swarnim Wagle is a Nepalese politician and prominent South Asian economist who has served as the Minister of Finance since 2026. He is also the vice-chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He was formerly a chief economic advisor at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) in New York.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1975 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Kathmandu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P27))
- **Occupation:** economist; politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P106))
- **Political party:** Rastriya Swatantra Party (since 2023); Nepali Congress (until 2023) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P102))
- **Education:** John F. Kennedy School of Government; Australian National University; Budhanilkantha School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P69))
- **Positions held:** Minister of Finance (since 27 March 2026 · BS 13 Chaitra 2082 onwards); Member of the House of Representatives of Nepal (since 28 April 2023 · BS 15 Baisakh 2080 onwards) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P39))

## Public office

- [Minister of Finance](https://diginpl.com/next/explore/office/minister-finance) — current (since 27 March 2026 · BS 13 Chaitra 2082 onwards)
- Officeholder record: https://diginpl.com/next/explore/person/swarnim-wagle

## Early life and education

- As chief economic advisor of the UNDP Asia-Pacific (2020–2022), he co-edited The Great Upheaval, published by Cambridge University Press, and led high-profile policy advisory missions to crisis-hit countries like Sri Lanka. ([Cambridge University Press](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/great-upheaval/4A780413ADDFF6761EB74B2D2465E1D1), [nepallivetoday.com](https://www.nepallivetoday.com/2022/04/28/as-economic-crisis-deepens-nepali-economist-invited-to-speak-at-sri-lankas-parliament/), [undp.org](https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-11/UNDP-Sovereign-Debt-Crisis-in-Sri-Lanka-Report-2022.pdf))
- He holds high academic degrees from the London School of Economics, Harvard University and the Australian National University. ([Swarnim Wagle](https://swarnimwagle.com.np/), [World Bank Blogs](https://blogs.worldbank.org/team/swarnim-wagle))

## Career

- Coming from a family background aligned with the party's liberal democratic ideology, he contributed to the formulation of the party's economic policies and was one of the members involved in drafting its election manifesto. ([Kathmandu Post](https://kathmandupost.com/politics/2023/03/27/economist-swarnim-wagle-quits-congress-joins-rsp))
- He has also been a vocal supporter of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal Compact, emphasizing its importance in Nepal's long-term infrastructure and energy connectivity. ([My Republica](https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/economist-wagle-says-mcc-vital-for-energy-connectivity/))
- He was also a member of the commission for two terms, from May 2014 to November 2015, and September 2016 to August 2017. ([The Himalayan Times](https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/swornim-wagle-appointed-vice-chairman-npc/), [National Planning Commission](https://www.npc.gov.np/))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swarnim_Wagle&oldid=1378273495), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Questions

**When was Swarnim Wagle born?**  
Swarnim Wagle was born on 1975 in Kathmandu.

**What positions has Swarnim Wagle held?**  
Positions held by Swarnim Wagle include: Minister of Finance (since 27 March 2026); Member of the House of Representatives of Nepal (since 28 April 2023).

**Where did Swarnim Wagle study?**  
Swarnim Wagle was educated at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Australian National University, Budhanilkantha School.

## Related

- [Sher Bahadur Deuba](https://diginpl.com/people/sher-bahadur-deuba)
- [Balen Shah](https://diginpl.com/people/balen-shah)
- [Upendra Yadav](https://diginpl.com/people/upendra-yadav)
- [Sudan Gurung](https://diginpl.com/people/sudan-gurung)
- [Sunil Lamsal](https://diginpl.com/people/sunil-lamsal)
- [Sobita Gautam](https://diginpl.com/people/sobita-gautam)
- [Rastriya Swatantra Party](https://diginpl.com/places/rastriya-swatantra-party)
- [Kathmandu](https://diginpl.com/places/kathmandu)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Swarnim Wagle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarnim_Wagle) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): स्वर्णिम वाग्ले](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE_%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q20685707](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Sw dec2019.jpg by Alabama River (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sw_dec2019.jpg)
- [Office record: Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20685707#P39)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Swarnim Wagle](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swarnim_Wagle&oldid=1378273495) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Cambridge University Press: The Great Upheaval (2022)](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/great-upheaval/4A780413ADDFF6761EB74B2D2465E1D1)
- [nepallivetoday.com: As economic crisis deepens, Nepali economist invited to speak at Sri Lanka's parliament](https://www.nepallivetoday.com/2022/04/28/as-economic-crisis-deepens-nepali-economist-invited-to-speak-at-sri-lankas-parliament/)
- [undp.org: The Sovereign Debt Crisis in Sri Lanka: Causes, Policy Response and Prospects](https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-11/UNDP-Sovereign-Debt-Crisis-in-Sri-Lanka-Report-2022.pdf)
- [Swarnim Wagle: Swarnim Waglé, PhD](https://swarnimwagle.com.np/)
- [World Bank Blogs: Swarnim Wagle (4 November 2010)](https://blogs.worldbank.org/team/swarnim-wagle)
- [Kathmandu Post: Economist Wagle's long association with Congress (27 March 2023)](https://kathmandupost.com/politics/2023/03/27/economist-swarnim-wagle-quits-congress-joins-rsp)
- [My Republica: Wagle backs MCC as key to Nepal's energy connectivity](https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/economist-wagle-says-mcc-vital-for-energy-connectivity/)
- [The Himalayan Times: Swarnim Wagle appointed Vice Chairman of NPC (3 August 2017)](https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/swornim-wagle-appointed-vice-chairman-npc/)
- [National Planning Commission: National Planning Commission](https://www.npc.gov.np/)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Swarnim Wagle, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Sw dec2019.jpg — Alabama River, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Swarnim Wagle". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/swarnim-wagle. Retrieved 21 October 2026.