Ethnic groups in Nepal

Ethnic groups of Nepal (2011)

  Kshetri (16.6%)

  Brahman-Hill (12.2%)

  Magar (7.1%)

  Tharu (6.6%)

  Tamang (5.8%)

  Newar (5%)

  Kami (4.8%)

  Nepalese Muslims (4.4%)

  Yadav (4%)

  Rai (2.3%)

  Others (31.2%)

Kshetri, the largest ethnic group in Nepal

Rai ethnic group in Nepal

Indigenous Magar girls of Nepal; Magars are the largest Janjatis in Nepal

Maithils celebrating Chhath in Janakpur. Maithils are the largest ethnolinguistic group in Nepalese Terai

Ethnic groups in Nepal are a product of both the colonial and state-building eras of Nepal. The groups 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.

Linguistic groups

Khas people celebrating Dashain festival; Khas are the largest ethno-linguistic group in Nepal comprising Bahun, Chhetri, Kami, Damai and other Dalits

Nepal's diverse linguistic heritage evolved from three major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman languages, and various indigenous language isolates. According to the 2001 national census, ninety two different living languages are spoken in Nepal (a ninety third category was "unspecified"). Based upon the 2011 census, the major languages spoken in Nepal are Nepali , Maithili and Bhojpuri.

Nepali (derived from Khas language) is considered to be a member of Indo-European language and is written in Devanagari script. Nepali was the language of the house of Gorkhas in the late 18th century and became the official, national language that serves as the lingua franca among Nepalese of different ethnolinguistic groups. Maithili—along with regional dialects Awadhi and Bhojpuri—are Indian languages and are spoken in the southern Terai Region.

There has been a surge in the number and percentage of people who understand English. The majority of urban and a significant number of rural schools use English as a language of instruction. Higher education in technical, medical, scientific, and engineering fields are entirely in English.

Nepal Bhasa, the mother-tongue of the Newars, is widely used and spoken in and around Kathmandu Valley and in major Newar trade towns across Nepal.

Other languages, particularly in the Inner Terai hill and mountain regions, are remnants of the country's pre-unification history of dozens of political entities isolated by topography. These languages typically are limited to an area spanning about one day's walk. Beyond that distance, dialects and languages lose mutual intelligibility.

Since Nepal's unification, various indigenous languages have come under threat of extinction as the government of Nepal has marginalized their use through strict policies designed to promote Nepali as the official language. Indigenous languages which have gone extinct or are critically threatened include Byangsi, Chonkha, and Longaba. Since democracy was restored in 1990, however, the government has worked to improve the marginalization of these languages. 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.

Social status

Sunuwar, a division of Kirati people; one of the largest ethnic cluster in Eastern Nepal

Pahari Hill Hindus of the Khas Gorkha tribe (Bahun and Chhetri castes) and the Newar ethnicity 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.

On the other hand, children who natively spoke local languages of the Madhesh and Hills, or Tibetan dialects prevailing in the high mountains were at a considerable disadvantage. This history of exclusion coupled with poor prospects for improvement created grievances that encouraged many in ethnic communities such as Madhesi, Tharu and Kham Magar to support the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and various other armed Maoist opposition groups such as the JTMM during and after the Nepalese Civil War. The negotiated end to this war forced King Gyanendra to abdicate in 2008.

Issues of ethnic and regional equity have tended to dominate the agenda of the new republican government and continue to be divisive. Today, even after the end of a 10-year-old Maoist conflict, the upper caste dominates every field in Nepal. Specifically, Brahmin and Chhetri (Indo-Aryan) have advantages. Although Newars are low in numbers, their urban living habitat gives them a competitive advantage. Thus, Newars are at the top of the Human Development Index. From a gender perspective, Newari women are the most literate and lead in every sector. Brahmin and Chhetri women have experienced less social and economic mobility compared to Newari women. Specifically, Brahmin women experience less equality due to their predominately rural living conditions which deprives them of access to certain educational and healthcare benefits.

Bahun and Chhetri castes form the historical topmost state elites' circle with the significant majority of leadership in executive, legislative, judicial, constitutional, local administrative bodies, bureaucracy, political parties and social organizations. Hindu varna system highlights these castes as high castes and makes them favorable in higher social status due to favorable social norms, values, and laws.

List of ethnic groups in Nepal by population

The population wise ranking of 125 Nepalese castes/ethnic groups as per 2011 Nepal census.

Rank	Caste/Ethnic groups	Broad Ethnic Category	Population (2011)	Percentage (%)
1	Kshetri/Chhetri	Khas	4,398,053	16.60%
2	Brahmin-Hill/Bahun	Khas	3,226,903	12.18%
3	Magar	Janajati-Hill	1,887,733	7.12%
4	Tharu	Adivasi-Tarai	1,737,470	6.56%
5	Tamang	Janajati-Hill	1,539,830	5.81%
6	Newar	Janajati-Hill	1,321,933	4.99%
7	Kami	Khas (Dalit)	1,258,554	4.75%
8	Musalman/Nepali Muslims	Muslim	1,164,255	4.39%
9	Yadav	Madhesi (Low)	1,054,458	3.98%
10	Rai	Janajati-Hill	620,004	2.34%
11	Gurung	Janajati-Hill	522,641	1.97%
12	Damai/Dholi	Khas (Dalit)	472,862	1.78%
13	Thakuri	Khas	425,623	1.61%
14	Limbu	Janajati-Hill	387,300	1.46%
15	Sarki	Khas (Dalit)	374,816	1.41%
16	Teli	Madhesi (Low)	369,688	1.40%
17	Chamar/Harijan/Ram	Madhesi (Dalit)	335,893	1.27%
18	Koiri/Kushwaha	Madhesi (Low)	306,393	1.16%
19	Musahar	Madhesi (Dalit)	234,490	0.89%
20	Kurmi	Madhesi (Low)	231,129	0.87%
21	Sanyasi/Dasnami	Khas	227,822	0.86%
22	Dhanuk	Madhesi (Low)	219,808	0.83%
23	Kanu/Haluwai	Madhesi (Low)	209,053	0.79%
24	Dusadh/Pasawan/Pasi	Madhesi (Dalit)	208,910	0.79%
25	Mallaha	Madhesi (Low)	173,261	0.65%
26	Kewat	Madhesi (Low)	153,772	0.58%
27	Kathabaniyan	Madhesi (Low)	138,637	0.52%
28	Brahmin-Tarai (Maithil, Kanyakubja, Bhumihar)	Madhesi (High)	134,106	0.51%
29	Kalwar	Madhesi (Low)	128,232	0.48%
30	Kumal	Janajati-Hill	121,196	0.46%
31	Bhujel	Janajati-Hill	118,650	0.45%
32	Hajam/Thakur	Madhesi (Low)	117,758	0.44%
33	Rajbanshi	Adivasi-Tarai	115,242	0.43%
34	Sherpa	Janajati-Hill	112,946	0.43%
35	Dhobi	Madhesi (Dalit)	109,079	0.41%
36	Tatma/Tatwa	Madhesi (Dalit)	104,865	0.40%
37	Lohar	Madhesi (Low)	101,421	0.38%
38	Khatwe	Madhesi (Dalit)	100,921	0.38%
39	Sudhi	Madhesi (Low)	93,115	0.35%
40	Danuwar	Janajati-Hill	84,115	0.32%
41	Majhi	Janajati-Hill	83,727	0.32%
42	Barai	Madhesi (Low)	80,597	0.30%
43	Bin	Madhesi (Low)	75,195	0.28%
44	Nuniya	Madhesi (Low)	70,540	0.27%
45	Chepang	Janajati-Hill	68,399	0.26%
46	Sonar	Madhesi (Low)	64,335	0.24%
47	Kumhar	Madhesi (Low)	62,399	0.24%
48	Sunwar	Janajati-Hill	55,712	0.21%
49	Bantar/Sardar	Madhesi (Dalit)	55,104	0.21%
50	Kahar	Madhesi (Low)	53,159	0.20%
51	Santhal	Adivasi-Tarai	51,735	0.20%
52	Marwadi	Other	51,443	0.19%
53	Kayastha	Madhesi (High)	44,304	0.17%
54	Rajput/Terai Kshetriya	Madhesi (High)	41,972	0.16%
55	Badi	Khas (Dalit)	38,603	0.15%
56	Jhangar/Uraon	Adivasi-Tarai	37,424	0.14%
57	Gangai	Adivasi-Tarai	36,988	0.14%
58	Lodh	Madhesi (Low)	32,837	0.12%
59	Badhaee	Madhesi (Low)	28,932	0.11%
60	Thami	Janajati-Hill	28,671	0.11%
61	Kulung	Janajati-Hill	28,613	0.11%
62	Bengali	Other	26,582	0.10%
63	Gaderi/Bhediyar	Madhesi (Low)	26,375	0.10%
64	Dhimal	Adivasi-Tarai	26,298	0.10%
65	Yakkha	Janajati-Hill	24,336	0.10%
66	Ghale	Janajati-Hill	22,881	0.09%
67	Tajpuriya	Adivasi-Tarai	19,213	0.07%
68	Khawas	Janajati-Hill	18,513	0.07%
69	Darai	Janajati-Hill	16,789	0.06%
70	Mali	Madhesi (Low)	14,995	0.06%
71	Dhuniya	Madhesi (Low)	14,846	0.06%
72	Pahari	Janajati-Hill	13,615	0.05%
73	Rajdhob	Madhesi (Low)	13,422	0.05%
74	Bhote	Janajati-Hill	13,397	0.05%
75	Dom	Madhesi (Dalit)	13,268	0.05%
76	Thakali	Janajati-Hill	13,215	0.05%
77	Kori	Madhesi (Dalit)	12,276	0.05%
78	Chhantyal	Janajati-Hill	11,810	0.04%
79	Hyolmo	Janajati-Hill	10,752	0.04%
80	Bote	Janajati-Hill	10,397	0.04%
81	Rajbhar	Madhesi (Low)	9,542	0.04%
82	Brahmu/Baramo	Janajati-Hill	8,140	0.03%
83	Punjabi	Other	7,176	0.03%
84	Nachhring	Janajati-Hill	7,154	0.03%
85	Yamphu	Janajati-Hill	6,933	0.03%
86	Gaine	Khas (Dalit)	6,791	0.03%
87	Chamling	Janajati-Hill	6,668	0.03%
88	Athpahariya	Janajati-Hill	5,977	0.02%
89	Jirel	Janajati-Hill	5,774	0.02%
90	Dura	Janajati-Hill	5,394	0.02%
91	Sarabaria	Madhesi (Dalit)	4,906	0.02%
92	Meche	Adivasi-Tarai	4,867	0.02%
93	Bantaba	Janajati-Hill	4,604	0.02%
94	Raji	Janajati-Hill	4,235	0.02%
95	Dolpo	Janajati-Hill	4,107	0.02%
96	Halkhor	Madhesi (Dalit)	4,003	0.02%
97	Byansi/Sauka	Janajati-Hill	3,895	0.01%
98	Amat	Madhesi (Low)	3,830	0.01%
99	Thulung	Janajati-Hill	3,535	0.01%
100	Lepcha	Janajati-Hill	3,445	0.01%
101	Pathakatta/Kushwadia	Adivasi-Tarai	3,182	0.01%
102	Mewahang	Janajati-Hill	3,100	0.01%
103	Bahing	Janajati-Hill	3,096	0.01%
104	Natuwa	Madhesi (Dalit)	3,062	0.01%
105	Hayu	Janajati-Hill	2,925	0.01%
106	Dhankar/Dharikar	Madhesi (Dalit)	2,681	0.01%
107	Lhopa	Janajati-Hill	2,624	0.01%
108	Munda	Adivasi-Tarai	2,350	0.01%
109	Dev	Madhesi (Low)	2,147	0.01%
110	Dhandi	Madhesi (Dalit)	1,982	0.01%
111	Kamar	Madhesi (Low)	1,787	0.01%
112	Kisan	Adivasi-Tarai	1,739	0.01%
113	Sampang	Janajati-Hill	1,681	0.01%
114	Koche	Adivasi-Tarai	1,635	0.01%
115	Lhomi	Janajati-Hill	1,614	0.01%
116	Khaling	Janajati-Hill	1,571	0.01%
117	Topkegola	Janajati-Hill	1,523	0.01%
118	Chidimar	Adivasi-Tarai	1,254	0.00%
119	Walung	Janajati-Hill	1,249	0.00%
120	Lohorung	Janajati-Hill	1,153	0.00%
121	Kalar	Madhesi (Dalit)	1,077	0.00%
122	Raute	Janajati-Hill	618	0.00%
123	Nurang	Madhesi (Low)	278	0.00%
124	Kusunda	Janajati-Hill	273	0.00%
125	Foreigners	Other	6,651	0.03%
−	Others/Undefined	Other	275,670	1.04%
Total			26,494,504	100.00%

Gallery

• 
  Map showing broad ethnic groups in Nepal
• Kirat Sunuwar girl, 19th century
  Kirat Sunuwar girl, 19th century
• 
  Traditional Bahun priest at Kathmandu
• 
  Tharu women
• 
  Teej celebrated by women of Khas community
• 
  Banras/Shakya Buddhist priests of Newar group
• 
  A Khas Jhakri shaman
• 
  Damai men playing Damaha
• 
  Children from isolated Danuwar ethnolinguistic group
• 
  Tamang women
• 
  Limbu aboriginal group
• 
  Tharu women
• 
  Limbus playing traditional chyabrung, Ilam, Nepal
• 
  Newar group
• 
  Procession of Khas Parbattia wedding
• 
  Sherpa, upper Tibetic ethnic group
• 
  Kirati Limbu women performing Kelang
• 
  Magar man, military tribe, Nepal
• 
  Senior offering Dashain Tika; a feature of Khas Parbattia community
• 
  Raute man; Rautes are below 1000
• 
  Magar group, military tribe, Nepal
• 
  Khas man of Nepal, as depicted in The People of India (1868-1875)
• 
  Kurmi women
• 
  Magar women