Islam in Nepal
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Bangla. (June 2025) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | |
.JPG) Mosque in Kathmandu, Nepal | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,483,060[1] (5.09% of the country's population)  [2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Nepal | |
| Religions | |
Islam | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu (27.9%) • Bhojpuri (19.9%) • Maithili (16.7%) • Awadhi (15.9%) • Bajjika (9.1%) • Nepali (5.2%) • Hindi (2.2%) • Other regional languages (2.4%)[3] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kashmiri Muslims • Bihari Muslims • Madheshi people[4] • Gorkhali Muslims • Tibetan Muslims |
| Islam by country |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal |
Islam (Nepali: नेपाली मुसलमान) is the third largest religion in Nepal.[5] According to the 2021 Nepal census, approximately 1.483 million Muslims, comprising 5.09% of the population, live in Nepal.[6]
Nepalese Muslims (Nepali: नेपाली मुसलमान; Nepali Musalman) are Nepalis who follow Islam. Their ancestors arrived in Nepal from different parts of South Asia and have since lived amidst the numerically dominant Hindus and Buddhists. Most muslims of Nepal ethnically are not Nepalese. They are similar to the Muslim population of Uttarpradesh and Bihar in India and they integrated in Nepalese Society. Most of the Muslim community lives in the Terai region, while the remaining live mainly in Kathmandu and Gorkha and the western hills. The community numbers 971,056, about 3.8% of the total population of Nepal. Districts with large Muslim population include Sarlahi (9.9%), Rautahat (17.2%), Bara (11.9%), Parsa (17.3%), Banke (16%) in the western Terai, Siraha (7%), Sunsari (10%), Saptari (10%) and Gorkha (13%) hill.[7]
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2021 Nepal census, there are around 1.483 million Muslims in Nepal. Almost all of them live in Terai region.[8] Districts with large Muslim concentrations are: Rautahat, Banke, Kapilvastu, Parsa, Mahottari, Bara, and Sunsari. There are only 21,866 Muslims in the capital city of Kathmandu (1.25% of the total population).[citation needed]
Early Islam in Nepal
[edit]Islam is believed to have been introduced in Nepal as early as the 11th century through trade and migration routes from Kashmir, Tibet, and Northern India. The earliest Muslim settlers were primarily Kashmiri merchants and traders who established themselves in the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the Terai region.[4]
During the medieval period and particularly under the rule of the Malla kings, Muslims continued to arrive and engage in artisanal crafts, arms manufacturing, and trade. The Rana regime (1846–1951) further encouraged the settlement of Indian Muslims, particularly in the Terai belt, to strengthen agriculture and local economies.[9][unreliable source?]
A significant wave of migration occurred following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, as Muslim refugees from northern India sought asylum in neighboring Nepal. Many of these refugees were granted land and permission to settle by the ruling Rana regime.[10]
Muslims played a small but notable role in Nepalese society during these times, including in the royal courts as metalworkers, arms suppliers, and scholars. Today, the historical roots of Islam in Nepal remain reflected in old settlements, mosques, and family lineages across Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, and the Eastern Terai districts.
Ahmadis maintain a small presence in Nepal.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1952/54 | 209,718 | — |
| 1961 | 280,507 | +33.8% |
| 1971 | 351,301 | +25.2% |
| 1981 | 399,607 | +13.8% |
| 1991 | 652,735 | +63.3% |
| 2001 | 972,359 | +49.0% |
| 2011 | 1,162,370 | +19.5% |
| 2021 | 1,483,060 | +27.6% |
| Source: Nepal Censuses | ||
The Muslim population was 1,483,060 as per Nepal 2021 Official census which make up 5.09% of Nepal's population. The Muslim population increased from 4.39% in 2011 to 5.09% in 2021.[14]
| Year | Percent | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1952/54 | ||
| 1961 | +0.44%
| |
| 1971 | +0.06%
| |
| 1981 |  -0.38%
| |
| 1991 | +0.87%
| |
| 2001 | +0.67%
| |
| 2011 | +0.19%
| |
| 2021 | +0.70%
|
| Year | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 2.2 million | 5.5% |
| 2040 | 2.7 million | 6% |
| 2050 | 3.2 million | 6.6% |
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in Nepal. The Pew Research Center has estimated that Nepal will have 3.34 million Muslims by 2050 who will constitute roughly around 7% of the country's population,[14] thus surpassing Buddhism in Nepal which is currently the 2nd largest religion in Nepal as of 2021 Nepal census reports.[16]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
- ^ "Religions in Nepal | PEW-GRF".
- ^ "National Population Census of Nepal 2021 Religion by Caste and Ethnicity" (PDF). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ a b Dastider, M. (2000). "Muslims of Nepal's Terai". Economic and Political Weekly. 35 (10): 766–769.
- ^ Statistical Yearbook of Nepal - 2013. Kathmandu: Central Bureau of Statistics. 2013. p. 23. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
- ^ Dastider, M. Understanding Nepal : Muslims in a plural society ISBN 978-81-241-1271-7
- ^ "National Muslim Commission". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
- ^ Amatya, K. "Islam in Nepal". nepalayaproductions. Retrieved 2025-10-07..
- ^ Parveen, N. (2012). "Politics of 'Inclusiveness': A Study of Contemporary Nepalese Muslim Political Discourse". Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 39 (1): 1–40. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ Sijapati, Megan Adamson (2011). Islamic Revival in Nepal: Religion and a New Nation. London and New York: Routledge.
- ^ "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF).
- ^ https://unstats.un.org › docsPDF NATIONAL POPULATION CENSUS OF NEPAL:
- ^ a b c Wormald, B. (2015). "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
- ^ Baral, Chhabi. Nepal population monograph 2014 volume 2. Archived (Pdf) from the original on 2019-11-01.
- ^ "Nepal's 81.19 per cent population is Hindu even as followers of Hinduism, Buddhism decline and Islam, Christians increase". ThePrint. 2023.
Further reading
[edit]- Sijapati, M. A. Situating Muslim Nepal in Islamic South Asia: Historical Themes, Directions for Future Research, and the Case for Religion. The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College.
- Ansari, T. A. (1988). "The Muslim minority in Nepal: a socio‐historical perspective". Journal Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. doi:10.1080/02666958808716066.
- Sijapati, M. A. (2011). "Muslims in Nepal: The Local and Global Dimensions of a Changing Religious Minority". Religion Compass. 5 (11): 656–665. doi:10.1111/j.1749-8171.2011.00314.x.
- Yasmin, C. M. (2020). "Muslim Cultural Practices in Nepal". Patan Pragya. 6 (1): 1–14. doi:10.3126/pragya.v6i1.34205.
- Acharya, C. (2025). "Gender and Society: Introducing Islam Social Life in Kathmandu". SMC Journal of Sociology. 2 (2): 149–169. doi:10.3126/sjs.v2i2.74844.
- Sharma, S. (1995). "How the crescent fares in Nepal". Himal. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- Sijapati, M. A. (2011). Islamic Revival in Nepal: Religion and a New Nation (2013 ed.). New York and London: Routledge Press.
- Siddique, M. (2001). "Muslim Population in the Kingdom of Nepal: Some Outstanding Features" (PDF). Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 21 (2): 333–345. doi:10.1080/1360200120092897. S2CID 143442959. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
External links
[edit]
