Facebook Generates Significant Revenue from Nepali Election Advertising

Kathmandu. As the use of social media for election campaigning increases, Facebook has generated significant business from Nepal. Thousands of dollars have been spent on election-focused advertisements originating from Nepal.

In the last 30 days alone, 960 individuals advertised through Facebook. Of these, 122 individuals who spent over $100 collectively spent $56,739, according to Meta's Ad Library report.

This report covers the period from January 29 to February 27. The report indicates that the rest spent less than $100. 

'My Voice Count' spent the most during this period. Meta's data shows that this organization spent $3,960. Following this, $2601 was spent under the name Ajay Kranti Followers, Sajha Party spent $2458, Rutin of Jhapa-5 spent $1850, Nain Singh Mahar spent $1794, Khitiz Thebe spent $1704, and $1640 was spent under the name Kushal Gurung.

'Desh Ko Asha' spent $1629, Hamro Awaj spent $1286, Naya Bato spent $1190, Gatishil Loktantrik Party spent $1174, Uplift Nepal spent $1152, and the Khitiz Thebe Jitaun Abhiyan spent $1082, while Bharat Raj Dhakal Jitaun Abhiyan spent $1054, Meta stated.

Dilip Bagadia, Shree Gurung, Som Prasad Pandey, Mahatoji, Narayan Kaji Followers, Rajan Bhattarai, and others are among the users who spent the most.

During this period, the Bagmati region accounted for the highest expenditure geographically. Expenditures from this region alone reached $20,477. Similarly, the Lumbini region spent $7969 and the Koshi region spent $7580.

The lowest spending was observed in the remote areas of Karnali and Sudurpaschim, which also highlights the gap in digital access and interest. Meta reported that Gandaki and Mechi also spent over $5,000 each.

Status of the Last 7 Days

According to the statistics, a total of $16,542 was spent on Facebook advertisements from Nepal in the last 7 days. Sajha Party appeared to be the highest spender during that period, with $1285 spent from that page. 

Similarly, $1279 was spent from the page named Khitiz Thebe, and $991 from Khitiz Thebe Jitaun Abhiyan. In terms of the number of advertisements, Dr. Ajay Kranti published the most, with 156 advertisements totaling $1111.

During this period, Kushal Gurung Kaski-2 spent $1013, My Voice Count spent $960, and the page named Desh Ko Asha spent $954. Pages such as Sure Hold, Hamro Awaj, Rutin of Jhapa-5, and Naya Bato were seen spending over $900 each.

Meta also reported that pages associated with political figures such as Somprasad Pandey, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Birendra Kanodia, and Binod Chaudhary invested heavily in advertising over the past week.