Nepalis


Nepalis are the Indo-Aryan and Sino-Tibetan citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins. As a result, people of Nepal do not equate their nationality with ethnicity and language, but with citizenship and allegiance. Although citizens make up the majority of Nepalese, non-citizen residents, dual citizen, and expatriates may also claim a Nepalese identity. Nepalese are descendants of migrants from parts of India, Tibet, and parts of Burma and Yunnan, and much further traces origin to Central Asia, along with indigenous peoples.
Nepal is a multicultural and multiethnic country. 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.
The population ranking of 125 Nepali castes/ethnic groups as per the 2011 Nepal census.
RankCaste/ethnic groupsPopulationPercentage composition
1Chhetri4,398,05316.60%
2Hill Brahman/Bahun3,226,90312.18%
3Magar1,887,7337.12%
4Tharu1,737,4706.56%
5Tamang1,539,8305.81%
6Newar1,321,9334.99%
7Kami1,258,5544.75%
8Nepali Muslims1,164,2554.39%
9Yadav1,054,4583.98%
10Rai620,0042.34%
11Gurung522,6411.97%
12Sherpa472,8621.78%
13Thakuri425,6231.61%
14Limbu387,3001.46%
15Sarki374,8161.41%
16Teli369,6881.40%
17Chamar/Harijan/Ram335,8931.27%
18Koiri/Kushwaha306,3931.16%
19Musahar234,4900.89%
20Kurmi231,1290.87%
21Sanyasi/Dasnami227,8220.86%
22Dhanuk219,8080.83%
23Dusadh/Pasawan/Pasi208,9100.79%
24Raute6180.00%
25Nurang2780.00%
26Kusunda2730.00%
27Hyolmo/ Yolmo1,50,0001%
Others1323210.7%
-Total26,494,504100.00%

Native Nepali speakers

There are around 16 million native speakers of the Nepali language—around 12 million in Nepal, three million in India, and about a million more including populations in Bhutan and other countries in the region, as well as the Nepalese diaspora around the world.

Others

Other people who are neither citizens or nationals of Nepal nor native speakers of the Nepali language, may still be referred to as Nepalis, based on their connection with the country or the Nepali language. The people belonging to ethnicities found in Nepal and using Nepali as the lingua franca, and other descendants of the people of Nepal or speakers of the Nepali language are also referred to as Nepalis.