Demographics of Nepal

Nepalese and people of Nepali/Nepa-lee origin

File:Tribhuvan.jpgFile:Narayan gopal02.jpg Top Left: King Tribhuvan, Top Right: Narayan Gopal, Bottom: Manisha Koirala
Total population
35 million
Regions with significant populations
Nepal	29,519,114
India	4,100,000
Myanmar	400,000
Saudi Arabia	350,000
Malaysia	300,000
USA	110,616
Japan	100,000
Qatar	100,000
UAE	50,000
United Kingdom	50,000
China	20,348
Hong Kong	15,950
Bhutan	11,000
South Korea	10,000
Australia	7,000
Canada	3,780
Languages
Nepali language, English
Religion
Predominantly Hinduism and significantly Buddhism; minority Islam, Kirant Mundhum, Christianity, Animism and others.

Perched on the southern slopes of the mighty Himalayas, Nepal is an ethnically diverse, culturally rich and geographically varied country with some of the world's highest mountain peaks that blend beautifully with terraced hills, broad valleys and large terrains of fertile plains. Nepal is unique in that in a small land size of only around 147,000 square kilometres (56,000 square miles), its varied landscape ranges from the highest point on earth to flat plains close to sea level, interspersed with thousands of rivers, lakes, dense forests and a rich assemblage of exotic wildlife.

Nepalis are descendants of migrants from parts of earlier Greater Nepal, Tibet, India and parts of Burma and Yunnan along with native tribal population. Among the earliest inhabitants were the Kirat of east mid-region, Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the malarial southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Khas (Bahun, Chhetri, Thakuri, Sanyasi, Dalit) migrated eastward along the himalayan foothills out of Kashmir, Kumaon, Garhwal-- parts of then Greater Nepal, Karnali Pradesh (Nepal) and perhaps also north from the Gangeatic Plains during invasions. Other ethnic groups trace their origins to North Burma, Yunnan and Tibet, e.g. the Gurung and Magar in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east, and Sherpa and Bhotia in the north.

In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryans of northern India. Indo-Aryan and East Asian looking mixed people live in the hill region. The mountainous region is sparsely populated above 3,000 meters, but in central and western Nepal ethnic Tibetans inhabit even higher semi-arid valleys north of the high Himalaya. Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with almost 5 percent of the nation's population. Nepal is a multilingual, multireligious and multiethnic society.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Nepal

Nepal's diverse linguistic heritage evolved from four major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, Mongolian and various indigenous language isolates. According to the 2001 national census, 92 different living languages are spoken in Nepal (a 93rd category was "unidentified"). The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (46%)(2009 est.), Maithili (13%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (5%), Tamang (5%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3%), Magar (2%), Awadhi (2%), Rai (2.79%), Limbu (1%), and Bajjika (1%). The remaining 81 languages are each spoken as mother tongue by less than one percent of the population.

Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali is considered the language closest to Sanskrit and is written in Devanagari script. Nepali was the language of the country's unifiers in the late 1700s and became the official, national language that serves as the lingua franca among Nepalese of different ethnolinguistic groups. Hindi—along with regional dialects Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Maithili—is spoken in the southern Terai Region. Hindi is also widely understood by Nepalese who have worked, studied or traveled in India. Many Nepali in government and business speak English as well.

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 mountains and gorges. These languages typically are limited to an area spanning about one day's walk. Beyond that distance dialects and languages lose mutual intelligibility.

Religion

See also Religion in Nepal

Religion is important in Nepal; the Kathmandu Valley alone has more than 2,700 religious shrines. The constitution of Nepal describes the country as a "Hindu Kingdom," although it does not establish Hinduism as the state religion. Nepal's constitution continues long-standing legal provisions prohibiting discrimination against other religions (but also proselytization). Nevertheless until 2006 Nepal remained the only officially Hindu country in the world. The king was deified as the earthly manifestation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. Then on May 19, 2006, the government facing a constitutional crisis, the House of Representatives which had been just reformed, having been previously dissolved, declared Nepal a "secular state".

The 2001 census identified 80.6% of the population as Hindu and 10.7% as Buddhist (although many people labeled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism or animist traditions). 4.2% of the population is Muslim and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenous Kirant Mundhum religion. Christianity is practiced by less than 0.5% of the population. [1]

Buddhist and Hindu shrines and festivals are respected and celebrated by most Nepalese. Certain animist practices of old indigenous religions survive.

Ethnicity

Selected ethnic groups of Nepal;
Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali
Gurung
Kiranti, Rai, Limbu
Newari
Pahari
Tamang

Elderly Limbu, Chong woman, Nepal.

Nepal’s 2001 census enumerated 103 distinct castes and ethnic groups including an "unidentified group".

The major caste/ethnic groups identified by the 2001 census are Khas Kshatriya or Chhetri (15.8%) and Khas Brahmin or Bahun (12.7%) in the hills (both Caucasian,counted separately from the same castes in the Terai), Magar (7.1%), Tharu (6.8%), Tamang (5.6%), Newar (5.5%), Muslim (4.3%),  Kami (3.9%), Rai (2.7%), Gurung (2.5%), and Damai/Dholi (2.4%). The remaining 92 caste/ethnic groups (including the world-famous Sherpa) each constitute less than 2 % of the population . The following table is based on endogamous ethnicity, not linguistical ethnic groups. Linguistically or culturally, "Bihari" can be regarded as the largest ethnic group of the country.

CASTE/ETHNIC GROUPS OF NEPAL

CASTE OR ETHNIC GROUP	POPULATION	PERCENT OF TOTAL
Khas Kshatriya/Chetri	3,593,496	15.80
Khas Brahmin/Bahun	2,896,477	12.74
Magar	1,622,421	7.14
Tharu	1,533,879	6.75
Tamang	1,282,304	5.64
Newar	1,245,232	5.48
Muslim	971,056	4.27
Kami	895,954	3.94
Yadav	895,423	3.94
Rai	635,151	2.79
Gurung	686,000	2.39
Damai/Dholi	390,305	1.72
Limbu	359,379	1.58
Thakuri	334,120	1.47
Sarki	318,989	1.40
Teli	304,536	1.34
Chamar, Harijan, Ram	269,661	1.19
Koiri	251,274	1.11
Kurmi	212,842	0.94
Sanyasi	199,127	0.88
Dhanuk	188,150	0.83
Musahar	172,434	0.76
Dusad/Paswan/Pasi	158,525	0.70
Sherpa	154,622	0.68
Sonar	145,088	0.64
Kewat	136,953	0.60
Terai-Brahmin	134,496	0.59
Baniya	126,971	0.56
Gharti/Bhujel	117,568	0.52
Mallah	115,986	0.51
Kalwar	115,606	0.51
Kumal	99,389	0.44
Hajam/Thakur	98,169	0.43
Kanu	95,826	0.42
Rajbansi	95,812	0.42
Sunuwar	95,254	0.42
Sudhi	89,846	0.40
Lohar	82,637	0.36
Tatma	76,512	0.34
Khatwe	74,972	0.33
Dhobi	73,413	0.32
Majhi	72,614	0.32
Nuniya	66,873	0.29
Kumhar	54,413	0.24
Danuwar	53,229	0.23
Chepang	52,237	0.23
Haluwai	50,583	0.22
Rajput	48,454	0.21
Kayastha	46,071	0.20
Budhae	45,975	0.20
Marwadi	43,971	0.19
Santhal/Satar	42,698	0.19
Dhagar/Jhagar	41,764	0.18
Bantar	35,839	0.16
Barae	35,434	0.16
Kahar	34,531	0.15
Gangai	31,318	0.14
Lodha	24,738	0.11
Rajbhar	24,263	0.11
Thami	22,999	0.10
Dhimal	19,537	0.09
Bhote	19,261	0.08
Bing/Binda	18,720	0.08
Bhediyar/Gaderi	17,729	0.08
Nurang	17,522	0.08
Yakkha	17,003	0.07
Darai	14,859	0.07
Tajpuriya	13,250	0.06
Thakali	12,973	0.06
Chidimar	12,296	0.05
Pahari	11,505	0.05
Mali	11,390	0.05
Bangali	9,860	0.04
Chhantel	9,814	0.04
Dom	8,931	0.04
Kamar	8,761	0.04
Bote	7,969	0.04
Brahmu/Baramu	7,383	0.03
Gaine/Gandarbha	5,887	0.03
Jirel	5,316	0.02
Adivasi/Janajati	5,259	0.02
Duga	5,169	0.02
Churaute	4,893	0.02
Badi	4,442	0.02
Meche	3,763	0.02
Lepcha	3,660	0.02
Halkhor	3,621	0.02
Punjabi/Sikh	3,054	0.01
Kisan	2,876	0.01
Raji	2,399	0.01
Byangsi	2,103	0.01
Hayu	1,821	0.01
Koche	1,429	0.01
Dhunia	1,231	0.01
Walung	1,148	0.01
Jaine	1,015	0.00
Munda	660	0.00
Raute	658	0.00
Yehlmo	579	0.00
Patharkata/Kuswadiya	552	0.00
Kusunda	164	0.00
Dalit/Unidentified	173,401	0.76
Unidentified Caste/Ethnicity	231,641	1.02
Total	22,736,934	100.00

Population Growth

Early, nearly universal marriage particularly among Hindus drives Nepal's annual population growth rate in excess of two percent, causing population to double about every 30 years. This severely strains the country's underdeveloped economy and finite natural resources. Deforestation is widespread as ever-more marginal land is cleared for agriculture, trees are cut down for firewood and leaves are harvested for fodder. Deforestation promotes erosion in the hills, in turn causing alluvial buildup down on the Gangetic Plain that interferes with flood control structures.

Population in the hills greatly exceeds agricultural productivity so chronic food deficits drive resettlement into the Inner Terai to the detriment of indigenous Tharu people and eastward into Sikkim and Bhutan where traditional practices of delayed marriage and diversion of significant population into monasteries and nunneries otherwise checked population growth. Seeing the demographic writing on the wall after a population census in 1988, Bhutan expelled some 100,000 ethnic Nepalese who became refugees in camps in southeastern Nepal. Overpopulation also drives export of manpower to India, the Middle East, Europe and North America in search of employment, the so-called Nepalese Diaspora.

Ethnic and Regional Equity

Hill Hindus of the Khas tribe (Brahman 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. Children who natively spoke local languages of the Terai and Hills, or Tibetan dialects prevailing in the high mountains were at a considerable distadvantage. This history of exclusion coupled with poor prospects for improvement created grievances that left ethnic communities such as Tharu in the Terai and Kham Magar in the mid-western hills receptive to recruitment as foot soldiers for the so-called Maoist opposition in 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.

NATU and EU demographic statistics

Demographics of Nepal, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook and EU, unless otherwise indicated.

Population: 28,563,377 (July 2009 est.)

Age structure:
0–14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)
15–64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.281% (2009 est.)

Birth rate: 23.18 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate: 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 47.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.46 years
male: 64.3 years
female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Nepali (singular as well as plural); Nepalis (plural)
adjective: Nepali or Nepalese

The words "Nepali" and "Nepalis" are gaining widespread popularity in English usage as opposed to Nepalese, which is an Anglicized version.

Ethnic groups: Khas Chettri 15.5%, Khas Bahun 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census) Both Indo-Aryan and Mixed Indo-Mongoloid comprise 80% who consist of Chetri, Bahun, Newar, etc While the Mongoloids including Magar, Gurung and Rai comprise 17% according to EBS Documentary 'World Travel with a Theme' made in 2010

Religions: Hinduism 80.2%, Buddhism 10.7%, Islam 4.2%, Yuma Samyo or Yumaism 3.6% other 1.2% (2006).

Languages: Nepali (official; spoken by majority of the male population), about a 90 other languages and major dialects;
note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.8%
male: 69.7%
female: 55.9% (2003 est.)

People - note: Refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 96,500 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. Presence and activity of Tibetan refugee population in Nepal also raises sporadic diplomatic conflicts with the People's Republic of China.

Nepali in the UK

Main article: Nepali British

There is a long history of the 50,000+ Nepali people in the UK.

Nepali in Hong Kong

Main article: South Asians in Hong Kong

Nepali people in Hong Kong are mainly the children of ex-Gurkhas born in Hong Kong during their parents' service with the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas, which was based in Hong Kong from the 1970s until the handover. Large groups can be found in Shek Kong, Yuen Long District, one of the main bases of the British army. Many ex-Gurkhas remained in Hong Kong after the end of their service under the sponsorship of their Hong Kong-born children, who held right of abode. They often work as security guards for companies such as G4s, TNT, Guardforce, and Afc.

Nepali Overseas

Country	Articles	Overseas Nepali Population
India	Nepali Indian	4,100,000
Myanmar		400,000
Saudi Arabia		350,000
Malaysia		300,000
United States	Nepalese American	110,616
Bhutan		110,000
Qatar		100,000
Japan		100,000
UAE		50,000
UK	Nepalese in United Kingdom	50,000
China		21,000
Continental Europe		20,000
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	16,000
Australia	Australian Nepali	10,000
South Korea		10,000
Canada		6,000
Total Overseas Nepal Population		~5,643,000

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2024 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2003 edition.)

External links

• Nepal Encyclopedia Ethnicity Page
• CIA Fact Book
• Nepal information Site

Hindu Food Ways www.jhatka.org