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Religion in Nepal (2023)^[1]

Hinduism (81.19%)

Buddhism (8.21%)

Islam (5.09%)

Kirat Mundhum (3.17%)

Christianity (1.76%)

Prakriti (Animism) (0.35%)

Bon (0.23%)

Sikhism (0.01%)

Jainism (0.01%)

Religion in Nepal encompasses a wide diversity of groups and beliefs.^[2] Nepal is a secular nation and secularism in Nepal under the Interim constitution (Part 1, Article 4) is defined as "Religious and cultural freedom along with the protection of religion and culture handed down from time immemorial." That is, "The state government is bound for protecting and fostering Hindu religion while maintaining "Religious" and "Cultural" freedom throughout the nation as fundamental rights.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Hinduism is the majority religion in Nepal and profoundly influences its social structure and politics, while Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism) is practiced by some ethnic groups (such as the Newar people) in forms that are strongly influenced by Hinduism. Kiratism is the indigenous religion of the population belonging to the Kirati ethnicity. Small populations, especially in eastern Nepal, adhere to Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, Bön, and the Baháʼí Faith.

Nepal is home to one of the largest Hindu populations in the world.^[6]^[7] A number of prominent Hindu pilgrimage sites are located in Nepal, such as Pashupatinath Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, the goddess Sita was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka.^[8] The national animal of Nepal is the cow,^[9] which is considered a sacred animal in Hinduism,^[10] and the slaughter of cows is illegal in Nepal.^[11]

Nepal is considered the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). As such, Buddhism has a special place in the country and is intertwined with Hinduism in some communities.^[7]^[12]^[13]

The Nepali constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Forced conversion from Hinduism to other religions is against the law, especially when money is used as a direct or indirect incentive to convert. Prior to the movement for democracy in early 2006 and the sacking of King Gyanendra in 2008, the country was officially a Hindu kingdom, and the constitution still protects and fosters the Hindu religion. Nationalists have sometimes protested against secularism, and some wish to see Nepal become a Hindu-Democratic state.^[14] Senior minister Prem Ale has advocated for constitutionally declaring Nepal a Hindu state.^[15]

History

Hinduism has been present in Nepal since the beginning of recorded history in the area. Muslims came to the country around the 11th century and brought Islam with them. Sikhism came to Nepal during the 18th century and spread throughout Nepal, and Jainism came to Nepal during the 19th century but spread only to Kathmandu and some districts of Nepal.

Religious tolerance can be found in royal orders dated Falgun Sudi 12, 1884 V.S. issued by the Hindu Shah monarch Rajendra Bikram Shah under the premiership of Bhimsen Thapa to Buddhist monks in the Kingdom of Nepal:

Our father [King Girban] has issued a copper plate inscription declaring that nobody shall harass you so long as you observe traditional religious practices (dharma). We hereby reconfirm that order.
— Royal Order to Jhimuryas of Tukucha-Gumba^[16]

According to the 2021 census, 81.19% of the Nepalese population is Hindu, 8.21% are Buddhist, 4.39% are Muslim, 3.17% are Kiratist (indigenous ethnic religion), 1.76% are Christian, 0.01% are Sikhs, and 0.01% are Jains.^[1] This varies from the 2001 census, where 80.62% of Nepalese were Hindu, 10.74% were Buddhist, 4.20% were Muslim,^[17] 3.60% were Kirant (an indigenous religion), 0.45% were Christian, and 0.4% were classified as other groups such as Bön. Nepal is home to the most Quakers of any country in Asia. As of 2017, there were 7,600 Quakers, most belonging to Evangelical Quakerism (Gurneyite).^[18]

In 1971, Hindus made up 89.4% of the population, Buddhists 7.5%, and Kirants statistically, 0%. The prevalence of dual-faith practices – particularly among Hindus and Buddhists – complicates statistics on religious groups.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Hindus made up at least 87% of the population in every region of Tibet. The largest concentrations of Buddhists were found in the eastern hills, the Kathmandu Valley, and the central Tarai; in each area, about 10% of the people were Buddhist. Buddhism was more common among the Newar and Tibeto-Nepalese groups. Among the Tibeto-Nepalese, those most influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunuwar, and Rai peoples. Hindu influence was less prominent among the Gurung, Limbu, Yakkha, Tamang, and Thakali groups, who continued to employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies. Since Hinduism and Buddhism are both Indian religions, their practices usually complement each other, and many people practice a combination of both. In 2015, a new constitution was adopted, and equal rights were granted to all religions in Nepal.

Nepal's constitution does not give anyone the right to evangelise or convert anyone to another religion. Nepal also passed a more stringent anti-conversion law in 2017.^[19]

Demographics

Population trends for major religious groups in Nepal^[20]^[1]
Year	Hindu	Buddhist	Muslim	Kirant	Christian	Other/ Unspecified
1952-54	88.87%	8.59%	2.54%	—	—	0.01%
1961	87.69%	9.25%	2.98%	—	—	0.07%
1971	89.39%	7.50%	3.04%	—	0.02%	0.05%
1981	89.50%	5.32%	2.66%	—	0.03%	2.49%
1991	86.51%	7.78%	3.53%	1.72%	0.17%	0.28%
2001	80.62%	10.74%	4.20%	3.60%	0.45%	0.39%
2011	81.34%	9.04%	4.39%	3.04%	1.41%	0.78%
2021	81.19%	8.21%	5.09%	3.17%	1.76%	0.58%

Religion in Nepal (2021 Census)^[21]
Religion	Population	Percentage
Hinduism	23,677,744	81.19%
Buddhism	2,393,549	8.2%
Islam	1,483,054	5.03%
Kirat	924,204	3.17%
Christianity	512,313	1.76%
Others	173,702	0.65%
Total	29,164,578	100%

Gallery

Boudhanath Stupa, a Buddhist temple in Kathmandu Valley
The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze. Nepal, 16th century A.D.
The Jain temple in Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepal Jama Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Nepal
Kirat (religion) Manghim or Mankhim of Kirat community in Lalitpur, Nepal

References

^ ^a ^b ^c National Statistics Office (2024). National Population and Housing Census 2021: Population Composition of Nepal (PDF). National Statistics Office, Nepal. p. 52. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
^ Interim Constitution of Nepal - Equal Rights Trust
^ "The Interim constitution of Nepal (2015), privileges Hinduism as the state sponsored religion". Scroll In. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
^ "Constitution of Nepal". Nepal Law Commission. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
^ "A history of religion in Nepal". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
^ World Atlas, 2019 report, Retrieved 2023-04-26
^ ^a ^b "South Asia : Nepal". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nepal". Adventure Holidays in Nepal. 2017-06-29. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "Cow becomes national animal of Nepal". News18. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "Sanctity of the cow: Hinduism". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ Ojo, Kehinde (2 November 2018). "Nepal's Cattle Slaughter Ban: Impacts on Dairy Producers' Profit". Agrilinks. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
^ "Same Same But Different: Religion in Nepal". Inside Himalayas. 2018-06-20. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "Nepal Adopts New Constitution, Becomes a Secular State: 5 Facts". NDTV. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "Religious freedom in Nepal 'teetering on the edge'". World Watch Monitor. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
^ "Nepal minister supports demand to declare country a Hindu state". The print. 31 March 2022.
^ Regmi 1987, p. 18.
^ "MUSLIMS of NEPAL: Becoming an assertive minority". October 13, 2007. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
^ "FWCC World Map 2017" (PDF). FWCC-AWPS. July 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
^ Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 2022 report
^ "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
^ https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/caste/Religion_NPHC_2021.xlsx National Statistics Office.

Sources

Regmi, Mahesh Chandra (1987), Regmi Research Series, vol. 19, Regmi Research Centre

[census2023-1] National Statistics Office (2024). National Population and Housing Census 2021: Population Composition of Nepal (PDF). National Statistics Office, Nepal. p. 52. Retrieved 18 May 2024.

[2] Interim Constitution of Nepal - Equal Rights Trust

[3] "The Interim constitution of Nepal (2015), privileges Hinduism as the state sponsored religion". Scroll In. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-05-06.

[4] "Constitution of Nepal". Nepal Law Commission. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-21.

[5] "A history of religion in Nepal". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-21.

[6] World Atlas, 2019 report, Retrieved 2023-04-26

[:0-7] "South Asia : Nepal". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[8] "10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nepal". Adventure Holidays in Nepal. 2017-06-29. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[9] "Cow becomes national animal of Nepal". News18. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[10] "Sanctity of the cow: Hinduism". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[11] Ojo, Kehinde (2 November 2018). "Nepal's Cattle Slaughter Ban: Impacts on Dairy Producers' Profit". Agrilinks. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.

[12] "Same Same But Different: Religion in Nepal". Inside Himalayas. 2018-06-20. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[13] "Nepal Adopts New Constitution, Becomes a Secular State: 5 Facts". NDTV. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

[14] "Religious freedom in Nepal 'teetering on the edge'". World Watch Monitor. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.

[15] "Nepal minister supports demand to declare country a Hindu state". The print. 31 March 2022.

[FOOTNOTERegmi198718-16] Regmi 1987, p. 18.

[Becoming_an_assertive_minority-17] "MUSLIMS of NEPAL: Becoming an assertive minority". October 13, 2007. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.

[18] "FWCC World Map 2017" (PDF). FWCC-AWPS. July 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

[19] Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 2022 report

[20] "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2020-11-25.

[21] ttps://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/caste/Religion_NPHC_2021.xlsx National Statistics Office.

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