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Ethnic groups in Nepal

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Caste/Ethnic groups of Nepal more than 1% of total population (2021 Census)[1]

  Chhetri (16.45%)
  Brahmin-Hill (11.29%)
  Magar (6.9%)
  Tharu (6.2%)
  Tamang (5.62%)
  Kami (5.04%)
  Muslims (4.86%)
  Newar (4.6%)
  Rai (2.2%)
  Damai (1.94%)
  Gurung (1.86%)
  Thakuri (1.7%)
  Sarki (1.55%)
  Teli (1.48%)
  Limbu (1.42%)
  Sharma Badhi (1.35%)
  Kushwaha (1.22%)
  Other (24.32%)
Ethnic Groups of Nepal by District, NHPC 2021.
Ethnographic map of Nepal (Gurung 1998)
Nepal ethnic groups
Magar girls in ethnic dress. Magars are the most populous Janajati group in Nepal.

Ethnic groups in Nepal are delineated using language, ethnic identity or the caste system in Nepal. They are categorized by common culture and endogamy. Endogamy carves out ethnic groups in Nepal.[2]

Linguistic groups

[edit]
Khaijadi
Gurung people from central Nepal playing one of their traditional drums, Khaijadi

Nepal's diverse linguistic heritage evolved from 2 major language groups: Indo-European languages, Tibeto-Burman languages. Nepal's languages are mostly either Indo-European or Sino-Tibetan, while only a very few of them are Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian.

Out of 123 languages of Nepal, the 48 Indo-European languages constitute the largest group in terms of the numeric strength of their speakers, nearly 82.1%[3] of population.

The Sino-Tibetan family of Nepal's languages forms a part of its Tibeto-Burman group. Though spoken by relatively fewer people than the Indo-European family (17.3%[3] of population), it includes a greater number of languages, about 63 languages. Languages belonging to this group are Tamang, Nepal Bhasa (Newar), Magar, Limbu, etc.

Tribhuvan University began surveying and recording threatened languages in 2010 and the government intends to use this information to include more languages on the next Nepalese census.[4]

Mother Tongues

[edit]

There were 124 mother tongues according to the "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 in Nepal.111 were previously reported in the earlier census 2011 and 13 were newly found in the census 2021.

The newly added mother tongues were Bhote, Lowa, Chum/Nubri, Baragunwa, Nar-Phu, Ranatharu, Karmarong, Mugali, Tichhurong Poike, Sadri, Done, Munda/Mudiyari and Kewarat.[5]

Population by mother tongue and sex, NPHC 2021[5]

Rank Mother Tongue Total Percentage
All MotherTongues 29164578 100
1 Nepali 13084457 44.86
2 Maithili 3222389 11.05
3 Bhojpuri 1820795 6.24
4 Tharu 1714091 5.88
5 Tamang 1423075 4.88
6 Bajjika 1133764 3.89
7 Avadhi 864276 2.96
8 Nepalbhasha(Newari) 863380 2.96
9 Magar Dhut 810315 2.78
10 Doteli 494864 1.7
11 Urdu 413785 1.42
12 Yakthung/Limbu 350436 1.2
13 Gurung 328074 1.12
14 Magahi 230117 0.79
15 Baitadeli 152666 0.52
16 Rai 144512 0.5
17 Achhami 141444 0.48
18 Bantawa 138003 0.47
19 Rajbanshi 130163 0.45
20 Sherpa 117896 0.4
21 Khash 117511 0.4
22 Bajhangi 99631 0.34
23 Hindi 98399 0.34
24 Magar Kham 91753 0.31
25 Chamling 89037 0.31
26 Ranatharu 77766 0.27
27 Chepang 58392 0.2
28 Bajureli 56486 0.19
29 Santhali 53677 0.18
30 Danuwar 49992 0.17
31 Darchuleli 45649 0.16
32 Uranw/Urau 38873 0.13
33 Kulung 37912 0.13
34 Angika 35952 0.12
35 Majhi 32917 0.11
36 Sunuwar 32708 0.11
37 Thami 26805 0.09
38 Ganagai 26281 0.09
39 Thulung 24405 0.08
40 Bangla 23774 0.08
41 Ghale 23049 0.08
42 Sampang 21597 0.07
43 Marwadi 21333 0.07
44 Dadeldhuri 21300 0.07
45 Dhimal 20583 0.07
46 Tajpuriya 20349 0.07
47 Kumal 18435 0.06
48 Khaling 16514 0.06
49 Musalman 16252 0.06
50 Wambule 15285 0.05
51 Bahing/Bayung 14449 0.05
52 Yakkha 14241 0.05
53 Sanskrit 13906 0.05
54 Bhujel 13086 0.04
55 Bhote 12895 0.04
56 Darai 12156 0.04
57 Yamphu/Yamphe 10744 0.04
58 Nachhiring 9906 0.03
59 Hyolmo/Yholmo 9658 0.03
60 Dumi 8638 0.03
61 Jumli 8338 0.03
62 Bote 7687 0.03
63 Mewahang 7428 0.03
64 Puma 6763 0.02
65 Pahari 5946 0.02
66 Athpahariya 5580 0.02
67 Dungmali 5403 0.02
68 Jirel 5167 0.02
69 Tibetan 5053 0.02
70 Dailekhi 4989 0.02
71 Chum/Nubri 4284 0.01
72 Chhantyal 4282 0.01
73 Raji 4247 0.01
74 Thakali 4220 0.01
75 Meche 4203 0.01
76 Koyee 4152 0.01
77 Lohorung 3884 0.01
78 Kewarat 3469 0.01
79 Dolpali 3244 0.01
80 Done 3100 0.01
81 Mugali 2834 0.01
82 Jero/Jerung 2817 0.01
83 Karmarong 2619 0.01
84 Chhintang 2564 0.01
85 Lhopa 2348 0.01
86 Lapcha 2240 0.01
87 Munda/Mudiyari 2107 0.01
88 Manange 2022 0.01
89 Chhiling 2011 0.01
90 Dura 1991 0.01
91 Tilung 1969 0.01
92 Sign Language 1784 0.01
93 Byansi 1706 0.01
94 Balkura/Baram 1539 0.01
95 Baragunwa 1536 0.01
96 Sadri 1347 0
97 English 1323 0
98 Magar Kaike 1225 0
99 Sonaha 1182 0
100 Hayu/Vayu 1133 0
101 Kisan 1004 0
102 Punjabi 871 0
103 Dhuleli 786 0
104 Khamchi(Raute) 741 0
105 Lungkhim 702 0
106 Lowa 624 0
107 Kagate 611 0
108 Waling/Walung 545 0
109 Nar-Phu 428 0
110 Lhomi 413 0
111 Tichhurong Poike 410 0
112 Kurmali 397 0
113 Koche 332 0
114 Sindhi 291 0
115 Phangduwali 247 0
116 Belhare 177 0
117 Surel 174 0
118 Malpande 161 0
119 Khariya 132 0
120 Sadhani 122 0
121 Hariyanwi 114 0
122 Sam 106 0
123 Bankariya 86 0
124 Kusunda 23 0
125 Others 4201 0.01
126 Not stated 346 0

Second Languages

[edit]

There were 25 languages that were being used as second language by more than 10 thousand population on each in the "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 in Nepal, whereas there were only 18 such languages reported as second language in the earlier census 2011.[5]

Population by second language and sex,  NPHC 2021[5]

Rank Second Language Total Percentage
null Total 29164578 100
1 No Second Language 14023086 48.08
2 Nepali 13482904 46.23
3 Maithili 267621 0.92
4 Hindi 223106 0.76
5 Bhojpuri 138572 0.48
6 English 102561 0.35
7 Tharu 89606 0.31
8 Bajjika 86062 0.3
9 Avadhi 75651 0.26
10 Urdu 72128 0.25
11 Tamang 71569 0.25
12 Magar Dhut 54143 0.19
13 Bhote 45292 0.16
14 Bantawa 43536 0.15
15 Nepalbhasha(Newari) 32604 0.11
16 Chamling 29253 0.1
17 Magahi 29191 0.1
18 Gurung 23698 0.08
19 Yakthung/Limbu 19705 0.07
20 Thulung 17187 0.06
21 Magar Kham 16814 0.06
22 Bahing/Bayung 15104 0.05
23 Rai 14398 0.05
24 Doteli 14344 0.05
25 Sampang 14261 0.05
26 Khaling 10370 0.04
27 Baitadeli 9521 0.03
28 Sherpa 9435 0.03
29 Sanskrit 6615 0.02
30 Achhami 6522 0.02
31 Angika 6127 0.02
32 Musalman 6084 0.02
33 Kulung 6039 0.02
34 Dumi 5870 0.02
35 Dadeldhuri 5535 0.02
36 Bangla 5447 0.02
37 Wambule 5227 0.02
38 Darchuleli 4272 0.01
39 Puma 4271 0.01
40 Rajbanshi 4103 0.01
41 Bote 3891 0.01
42 Mewahang 3669 0.01
43 Marwadi 3449 0.01
44 Nachhiring 3176 0.01
45 Tibetan 3134 0.01
46 Bajhangi 2641 0.01
47 Khash 2607 0.01
48 Chhintang 2135 0.01
49 Tilung 1762 0.01
50 Sunuwar 1597 0.01
51 Belhare 1491 0.01
52 Punjabi 1274 0
53 Dungmali 1271 0
54 Jero/Jerung 1245 0
55 Jumli 1125 0
56 Bajureli 1076 0
57 Dhimal 999 0
58 Majhi 971 0
59 Ghale 963 0
60 Koyee 928 0
61 Ranatharu 871 0
62 Thami 859 0
63 Danuwar 845 0
64 Chepang 833 0
65 Sign Language 828 0
66 Bhujel 740 0
67 Thakali 733 0
68 Yakkha 704 0
69 Santhali 703 0
70 Chhiling 685 0
71 Ganagai 644 0
72 Lohorung 622 0
73 Kumal 615 0
74 Kagate 615 0
75 Darai 591 0
76 Khamchi(Raute) 526 0
77 Magar Kaike 515 0
78 Hyolmo/Yholmo 508 0
79 Yamphu/Yamphe 494 0
80 Dailekhi 434 0
81 Chhantyal 394 0
82 Hayu/Vayu 349 0
83 Koche 335 0
84 Jirel 332 0
85 Athpahariya 320 0
86 Balkura/Baram 307 0
87 Waling/Walung 304 0
88 Manange 304 0
89 Dura 278 0
90 Uranw/Urau 245 0
91 Lapcha 242 0
92 Sindhi 217 0
93 Tajpuriya 209 0
94 Dhuleli 187 0
95 Pahari 142 0
96 Lhopa 129 0
97 Dolpali 127 0
98 Sadhani 125 0
99 Sadri 106 0
100 Baragunwa 89 0
101 Phangduwali 85 0
102 Hariyanwi 84 0
103 Sam 79 0
104 Malpande 78 0
105 Raji 76 0
106 Meche 75 0
107 Tichhurong Poike 72 0
108 Surel 64 0
109 Kurmali 60 0
110 Bankariya 42 0
111 Kewarat 38 0
112 Sonaha 35 0
113 Karmarong 34 0
114 Kisan 33 0
115 Byansi 32 0
116 Kusunda 32 0
117 Lungkhim 28 0
118 Mugali 23 0
119 Others 159 0
120 Not stated 8105 0.03

Social status

[edit]
Sunuwar, a division of Kirati people; one of the largest ethnic groups in Eastern Nepal

Hill status i.e. (Brahmin/Bahun and Chhetri castes) and the upper-caste segments of Newars dominated the civil service, the judiciary and upper ranks of the army throughout the Shah regime (1768–2008). Nepali was the national language and Sanskrit became a required school subject. Children who spoke Nepali natively and who were exposed to Sanskrit had much better chances of passing the national examinations at the end of high school, which meant they had better employment prospects and could continue into higher education. Caste system, prevalent among Hindus, was made illegal in 1961 by Naya Muluki ain. [6][7][8][9][10]

Caste/ethnicity in Nepal by population

[edit]

The populations of 125 Nepalese castes groups were recorded in the 2011 Nepal census.[3][11][note 1][12]

However,there were 142 castes/ethnicities according to the "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 in Nepal, out of which 125 were previously reported in the earlier census 2011 and 17 were newly found in the census 2021.[5]

The newly added castes/ethnicities were Ranatharu, Bhumihar, Bankariya, Surel, Chumba/Nubri, Phree, Mugal/Mugum, Pun, Rauniyar, Baniyan, Gondh/Gond, Karmarong, Khatik, Beldar, Chai/Khulaut, Done and Kewarat.[5]

The Madeshi Commission also removed Muslims and Tharus from the list of Madeshis in 2021. In the surname listing of ‘Surname Enumeration of Madheshi Community in Nepal -2078 B.S.' conducted by the Madheshi Commission, Tharus in sub-group-1 and Muslims in sub-group-2 have been removed.[13][14][15][16]


List of Castes/Ethnicities by population in Nepal- NPHC 2021[5]

Rank Caste/ethnicity Total Total %
Total 29164578 100
1 Kshetri 4796995 16.45
2 Brahman - Hill 3292373 11.29
3 Magar 2013498 6.9
4 Tharu 1807124 6.2
5 Tamang 1639866 5.62
6 Bishwokarma 1470010 5.04
7 Musalman 1418677 4.86
8 Newa: (Newar) 1341363 4.6
9 Yadav 1228581 4.21
10 Rai 640674 2.2
11 Pariyar 565932 1.94
12 Gurung 543790 1.86
13 Thakuri 494470 1.7
14 Mijar 452229 1.55
15 Teli 431347 1.48
16 Yakthung/Limbu 414704 1.42
17 Chamar/Harijan/Ram 393255 1.35
18 Koiri/Kushwaha 355707 1.22
19 Kurmi 277786 0.95
20 Musahar 264974 0.91
21 Dhanuk 252105 0.86
22 Dusadh/Pasawan/Pasi 250977 0.86
23 Brahman - Tarai 217774 0.75
24 Mallaha 207006 0.71
25 Sanyasi/Dasnami 198849 0.68
26 Kewat 184298 0.63
27 Kanu 152868 0.52
28 Hajam/Thakur 136487 0.47
29 Kalwar 134914 0.46
30 Rajbansi 132564 0.45
31 Sherpa 130637 0.45
32 Kumal 129702 0.44
33 Tatma/Tatwa 126018 0.43
34 Khatwe 124062 0.43
35 Gharti/Bhujel 120245 0.41
36 Majhi 111352 0.38
37 Nuniya 108723 0.37
38 Sundi 107380 0.37
39 Dhobi 101089 0.35
40 Lohar 100680 0.35
41 Bin 96974 0.33
42 Kumhar 95724 0.33
43 Sonar 93380 0.32
44 Chepang/Praja 84364 0.29
45 Ranatharu 83308 0.29
46 Danuwar 82784 0.28
47 Sunuwar 78910 0.27
48 Haluwai 71796 0.25
49 Baraee 68011 0.23
50 Bantar/Sardar 61687 0.21
51 Kahar 59882 0.21
52 Santhal 57310 0.2
53 Baniyan 53655 0.18
54 Kathabaniyan 52466 0.18
55 Badhaee/Badhee 52437 0.18
56 Oraon/Kudukh 46840 0.16
57 Rajput 46577 0.16
58 Amat 46471 0.16
59 Gangai 41446 0.14
60 Lodh 39872 0.14
61 Gaderi/Bhediyar 35497 0.12
62 Ghale 35434 0.12
63 Marwadi 33803 0.12
64 Kayastha 33502 0.11
65 Kulung 33388 0.11
66 Thami 32743 0.11
67 Bhumihar 32199 0.11
68 Rajbhar 29240 0.1
69 Rauniyar 27258 0.09
70 Dhimal 25643 0.09
71 Khawas 22551 0.08
72 Tajpuriya 20989 0.07
73 Kori 20670 0.07
74 Dom 19901 0.07
75 Mali 19605 0.07
76 Darai 18695 0.06
77 Yakkha 17460 0.06
78 Bhote 15818 0.05
79 Bantawa 15719 0.05
80 Rajdhob 15391 0.05
81 Dhunia 15033 0.05
82 Pahari 15015 0.05
83 Bangali 13800 0.05
84 Gondh/Gond 12267 0.04
85 Chamling 12178 0.04
86 Chhantyal/Chhantel 11963 0.04
87 Thakali 11741 0.04
88 Badi 11470 0.04
89 Bote 11258 0.04
90 Pun 9827 0.03
91 Hyolmo/Yholmopa 9819 0.03
92 Khatik 9152 0.03
93 Yamphu 9111 0.03
94 Kewarat 8809 0.03
95 Baram / Baramu 7859 0.03
96 Dev 7418 0.03
97 Nachhiring 7300 0.03
98 Gaine 6971 0.02
99 Bahing 6547 0.02
100 Thulung 6239 0.02
101 Jirel 6031 0.02
102 Khaling 5889 0.02
103 Aathpahariya 5878 0.02
104 Dolpo 5818 0.02
105 Sarbaria 5793 0.02
106 Mewahang 5727 0.02
107 Byasi/Sauka 5718 0.02
108 Dura 5581 0.02
109 Meche 5193 0.02
110 Raji 5125 0.02
111 Sampang 4841 0.02
112 Chai/Khulaut 4805 0.02
113 Chumba/Nubri 4414 0.02
114 Dhankar/ Dharikar 4090 0.01
115 Munda 3589 0.01
116 Lepcha 3578 0.01
117 Pattharkatta/ Kushwadiya 3343 0.01
118 Hayu 3069 0.01
119 Beldar 3037 0.01
120 Halkhor 2929 0.01
121 Natuwa 2896 0.01
122 Loharung 2598 0.01
123 Kamar 2532 0.01
124 Dhandi 2339 0.01
125 Done 2125 0.01
126 Mugal/Mugum 2124 0.01
127 Punjabi/Sikh 1846 0.01
128 Karmarong 1663 0.01
129 Chidimar 1615 0.01
130 Kisan 1479 0.01
131 Lhopa 1390 0
132 Kalar 931 0
133 Phree 921 0
134 Koche 847 0
135 Topkegola 642 0
136 Raute 566 0
137 Walung 481 0
138 Lhomi 355 0
139 Surel 318 0
140 Kusunda 253 0
141 Bankariya 180 0
142 Nurang 36 0
null Others 5888 0.02
null Foreigner 137407 0.47
null Not stated 4436 0.02

List of Castes/Ethnicities by population in Nepal-2011

Rank Caste/Ethnicity Population (2011) Percentage (%)
1 Chetri 4398053 18.80
2 Bahun 3226903 14.18
3 Magar 1887733 7.12
4 Tharu 1737470 6.56
5 Tamang 1539830 5.81
6 Newar 1321933 4.99
7 Kami 1258554 4.75
8 Nepali Musalman 1164255 4.39
9 Yadav 1054458 3.98
10 Rai 620004 2.34
11 Gurung 522641 1.97
12 Damai/Dholi 472862 1.78
13 Thakuri 425623 1.61
14 Limbu 387300 1.46
15 Sarki 374816 1.41
16 Teli 369688 1.40
17 Chamar/Harijan/Ram 335893 1.27
18 Kushwaha 306393 1.16
19 Musahar 234490 0.89
20 Kurmi 231129 0.87
21 Sanyasi/Dasnami 227822 0.86
22 Dhanuk 219808 0.83
23 Kanu/Haluwai 209053 0.79
24 Dusadh/Pasawan/Pasi 208910 0.79
25 Mallaha 173261 0.65
26 Kewat 153772 0.58
27 Kathbaniya 138637 0.52
28 Brahmin-Terai 134106 0.51
29 Kalwar 128232 0.48
30 Kumal 121196 0.45
31 Bhujel 118650 0.44
32 Hajam/Thakur 117758 0.43
33 Rajbanshi 115242 0.43
34 Sherpa 112946 0.41
35 Dhobi 109079 0.40
36 Tatma/Tatwa 104865 0.38
37 Lohar 101421 0.38
38 Khatwe 100921 0.35
39 Sudhi 93115 0.32
40 Danuwar 84115 0.32
41 Majhi 83727 0.30
42 Barai 80597 0.28
43 Bin 75195 0.27
44 Nuniya 70540 0.26
45 Chepang 68399 0.24
46 Sonar 64335 0.24
47 Kumhar 62399 0.21
48 Sunuwar 55712 0.21
49 Bantar/Sardar 55104 0.21
50 Kahar 53159 0.20
51 Santhal 51735 0.20
52 Marwadi 51443 0.19
53 Kayastha 44304 0.17
54 Rajput/Terai Kshetriya 41972 0.16
55 Badi 38603 0.15
56 Jhangar/Uraon 37424 0.14
57 Gangai (Ganesh & Mandal) 36988 0.12
58 Lodh 32837 0.11
59 Badhaee 28932 0.11
60 Thami 28671 0.11
61 Kulung 28613 0.1
62 Bengali 26582 0.1
63 Gaderi/Bhediyar/Gangajali 26375 0.1
64 Dhimal 26298 0.09
65 Yakkha 24336 0.09
66 Ghale 22881 0.07
67 Tajpuriya 19213 0.07
68 Khawas 18513 0.06
69 Darai 16789 0.06
70 Mali 14995 0.06
71 Dhuniya 14846 0.05
72 Pahari 13615 0.05
73 Rajdhob 13422 0.05
74 Bhote 13397 0.05
75 Dom 13268 0.05
76 Thakali 13215 0.05
77 Kori 12276 0.04
78 Chhantyal 11810 0.04
79 Hyolmo 10752 0.04
80 Bote 10397 0.04
81 Rajbhar 9542 0.03
82 Brahmu/Baramo 8140 0.03
83 Punjabi 7176 0.03
84 Nachhring 7154 0.03
85 Yamphu 6933 0.03
86 Gaine 6791 0.03
87 Chamling 6668 0.02
88 Athpahariya 5977 0.02
89 Jirel 5774 0.02
90 Dura 5394 0.02
91 Sarabaria 4906 0.02
92 Meche 4867 0.02
93 Bantawa 4604 0.02
94 Raji 4235 0.02
95 Dolpo 4107 0.02
96 Halkhor 4003 0.01
97 Byansi/Sauka 3895 0.01
98 Amat 3830 0.01
99 Thulung 3535 0.01
100 Lepcha 3445 0.01
101 Pathakatta/Kushwadia 3182 0.01
102 Mewahang 3100 0.01
103 Bahing 3096 0.01
104 Natuwa 3062 0.01
105 Hayu 2925 0.01
106 Dhankar/Dharikar 2681 0.01
107 Lhopa 2624 0.01
108 Munda 2350 0.0087
109 Dev 2147 0.0081
110 Dhandi 1982 0.0075
111 Kamar 1787 0.0067
112 Kisan 1739 0.0066
113 Sampang 1681 0.0063
114 Koche 1635 0.0062
115 Lhomi 1614 0.0061
116 Khaling 1571 0.0059
117 Topkegola 1523 0.0057
118 Chidimar 1254 0.0047
119 Walung 1249 0.0047
120 Lohorung 1153 0.0044
121 Kalar 1077 0.004
122 Raute 618 0.002
123 Nurang 278 0.001
124 Kusunda 273 0.001
null Foreigners 6651 0.03
− Others/Undefined 275670 1.04%
Total Total 26494504 100.00%

Religion

[edit]

According to "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 the number of religions adopted by the individuals in census 2021 and 2011 were as follows:[5]

Census 2021 Census 2011
Religion Population Percent Religion Population Percent
Hindu 23677744 81.19 Hindu 21551492 81.34
Bouddha 2393549 8.21 Bouddha 2396099 9.04
Islam 1483066 5.09 Islam 1162370 4.39
Kirat 924204 3.17 Kirat 807169 3.05
Christian 512313 1.76 Christian 375699 1.42
Prakrit 102048 0.35 Prakriti 121982 0.46
Bon 67223 0.23 Bon 13006 0.05
Jain 2398 0.01 Jain 3214 0.01
Bahai 537 0.00 Bahai 1283 0.00
Sikha 1496 0.01 Sikha 609 0.00
Unidentified - - Unidentified 61581 0.23
Total 29164578 100 Total 26494504 100
Broad Ethnic Categories of Nepal (2011 Census)
Rank Broad Ethnic Category Sub-Category Sub-Category

Percentage

Linguistic family Population

Percentage

1 Khas-Arya

(Hill Group)

Chhetri 16.60% Indo-Aryan 39.37%
Brahmin 12.18%
Dalit 8.12%
Thakuri 1.61%
Sanyasis/Dashnami 0.86%
2 Janajatis Hill: Sherpas, Tamangs, Magars, Ghale, Kirat (Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar), Gurungs etc. 22.28% Sino-Tibetan 30.81%
Terai: Tharu, Rajbanshi, Dhimal, etc. 8.53% Indo-Aryan, Austroasiatic, Sino-Tibetan languages
3 Newars Newar (Middle) 3.1% Sino-Tibetan 5.5%
Newar (Low) 0.4%
Newar (Buddhists) 0.8%
Newar (Upper) 1.1%
4 Madhesi

(Terai Caste Group)*

Madhesi (Middle) 9.97% Indo-Aryan 23.43%
Madhesi (Dalit) 4.50%
Madhesi (Nepali Muslims) (Madheshi status removed as of 2021*) 4.39%
Madhesi (Low) 3.86%
Madhesi (High) Maithili Brahmins, Rajput/Terai Kshetriya, Thakur, etc. 2.5%
5 Other

(Marwadi, Bengali and Punjabi)

− Indo-Aryan 0.32%
6 Undefined and Foreigners − − − 1.07%
Total 100%

*Note: The Madeshi Commission also removed Muslims and Tharus from the list of Madeshis in 2021. In the surname listing of ‘Surname Enumeration of Madheshi Community in Nepal -2078 B.S.' conducted by the Madheshi Commission, Tharus in sub-group-1 and Muslims in sub-group-2 have been removed.[13][14][15][16]

Religion

[edit]

According to "National Report on caste/ethnicity, language & religion", National Population and Housing Census 2021 the number of religions adopted by the individuals in census 2021 and 2011 were as follows:[5]

Census 2021 Census 2011
Religion Population Percent Religion Population Percent
Hindu 23677744 81.19 Hindu 21551492 81.34
Bouddha 2393549 8.21 Bouddha 2396099 9.04
Islam 1483066 5.09 Islam 1162370 4.39
Kirat 924204 3.17 Kirat 807169 3.05
Christian 512313 1.76 Christian 375699 1.42
Prakrit 102048 0.35 Prakriti 121982 0.46
Bon 67223 0.23 Bon 13006 0.05
Jain 2398 0.01 Jain 3214 0.01
Bahai 537 0.00 Bahai 1283 0.00
Sikha 1496 0.01 Sikha 609 0.00
Unidentified - - Unidentified 61581 0.23
Total 29164578 100 Total 26494504 100

References

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Pages 191/192 of the total pdf or pages 156/157 in the scanned material shows Nepalese castes/ethnic groups

Notes

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  1. ^ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
  2. ^ Mishra, Pramod (2020-08-26). "Endogamy, hierarchy and violence". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  3. ^ a b c "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF).
  4. ^ Tumbahang, Govinda Bahadur (2010). "Marginalization of indigenous languages of Nepal". Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 37: 69 – via Expanded Academic.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "National Population and Housing Census 2021 National Report on Caste/ethnicity, Language & Religion" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Highlights" (PDF). OCHA Nepal Situation Overview (12). OCHA. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. ^ "Highlights" (PDF). OCHA Nepal Situation Overview (16). OCHA. July–August 2007. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  8. ^ "Highlights" (PDF). OCHA Nepal Situation Overview (30). OCHA. June–July 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  9. ^ Sharma, Hari (2010-11-18). "Body of murder victim found in Gulmi". Gulmi: The Himalayan Times online. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  10. ^ Hatlebakk, Magnus (2007). "Economic and social structures that may explain the recent conflicts in the Terai of Nepal" (PDF). Kathmandu: Norwegian Embassy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  11. ^ "POPULATION MONOGRAPH OF NEPAL" (PDF). p. 191. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
  12. ^ "Nepal Census 2011" (PDF).
  13. ^ a b "Madheshi Commission removes Muslims and Tharus from the list of Madheshis".
  14. ^ a b "Removal of Tharu & Muslims from list of Madhesi communities".
  15. ^ a b "Recommendation To Remove Tharu and Muslims In List of Madhesi".
  16. ^ a b "Tharu Commission has objected to the Madheshi Commission's move to include the surnames of the Tharu people as Madheshis".
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