Statistics about Nepali Speakers
- Official Language in the Indian state of Sikkim, where nearly two-thirds of the population speaks Nepali as a primary language, as well as the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
- It is also spoken by a significant portion of the populations of the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Uttarakhand.
- It is a bridge language (lingua franca) in Nepali communities across Himalayan India.
- Nepali is the dominant language of Nepal and southern Bhutan.
- ~17M people speak Nepali worldwide
- ~12M in Nepal
- ~3M in India
- ~2M across Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UK, and USA
- ~3M people speak Nepali in India, ~2.5% of Indian population
- ~2.5M as a first language
- ~0.5M as a secondary language
Nepali is the #1 language in Sikkim and the #2 language in Manipur.
It is not a primary or secondary language in any other Indian state or territory.
Nepali Diaspora
Although not as a primary language, Nepali is spoken in many other nations.
- Nepal (12M, 43% of the population)
- Bhutan (267K , 35%)
- Qatar (400K, 14%)
- India (3M, 3%)
- Australia (63K, <1%)
- Canada (15K, <1%)
- Japan (80K, <1%)
- Kuwait (68K, <1%)
- Malaysia (700K, <1%)
- Myanmar (500K, <1%)
- South Korea (60K, <1%)
- UAE (125K, <1%)
- UK (164K, <1%)
- USA (200K, <1%)
Lutheran Study Bible Translation Project: Nepali Status
We need your help to finish this language. As you’ll see in the table at bottom of this page, all 66 books of the Bible have projected costs associated with them – this is the cost of completing the exhaustive 12-step process. Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but we are absolutely committed to finishing Nepali and the 14 other languages. Naturally, the timing is based on availability of resources and funding – but these will get done! Can you help us get there sooner?
See the Translation for Yourself
Nepali Progress Report
The table below shows the 66 books of the Lutheran Study Bible, as well as the approximate cost to complete each book’s 12-step translation process.
Note that we update our Nepali progress in this table quarterly.
