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Nepalese Muslims
नेपाली मुसलमान
Total population
	1,483,060 ; (5.09% of the country's population)
Regions with significant populations
	Nepal
Languages
	Nepali • Awadhi • Bhojpuri • Maithili • Gurung • [ Tamang][magar]
Religion
	Islam
Related ethnic groups
	Kashmiri Muslims, Bihari Muslims, Madheshi people, Gorkhali Muslims

Islam (Nepali: नेपाली मुसलमान) is the third largest religion in Nepal.^[1] According to the 2021 Nepal census, approximately 1.483 million Muslims, comprising 5.09% of the population, live in Nepal.^[2]

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 share a similar culture and speak the same language. Most of the Muslim community lives in the Terai region, while the remaining are found mainly in the city of 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.^[6]

Demographics

According to the 2021 Nepal census, there are around 1.483 million Muslims in Nepal. Almost all of them live in Terai Region.^[7] 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).

Ahmadis maintain a small presence in Nepal.^[8]

Historical Muslim Population in Nepal^[9]^[10]
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.^[11]

Decadal percentage of Muslims in Nepal^[12]
Year	Percent	Increase
1952/54	2.54%
1961	2.98%	+0.44%
1971	3.04%	+0.06%
1981	2.66%	-0.38%
1991	3.53%	+0.87%
2001	4.20%	+0.67%
2011	4.39%	+0.19%
2021	5.09%	+0.70%

**Projected Muslim population in Nepal (2030-2050)**^[13]
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. By 2050 Pew Research Center have estimated that Nepal will have 3.34 million Muslims and will constitute roughly around 7% of the country's population,^[14] thus surpassing Buddhism which is currently the 2nd largest Religion in Nepal as of 2021 Nepal census reports.^[15]

References

^ 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).
^ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
^ "Religions in Nepal | PEW-GRF".
^ https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ind/muslimsofnepal.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ Understanding Nepal : Muslims in a plural society by Mollica Dastider ISBN 978-81-241-1271-7
^ "National Muslim Commission". Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
^ 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:
^ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". 21 December 2022.
^ "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF).
^ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". 21 December 2022.
^ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". 21 December 2022.
^ "Nepal's 81.19 per cent population is Hindu even as followers of Hinduism, Buddhism decline and Islam, Christians increase". ThePrint. 4 June 2023.

External links

Haque, Md. Mozammil. "Islam in Nepal". Wordpress. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
Sharma, Sudhindra (May 1995). "How the crescent fares in Nepal". Himal. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
Sijapati, Megan Adamson. Islamic Revival in Nepal: Religion and a New Nation. New York and London, Routledge Press, 2011. South Asia edition, Delhi 2013.
Siddique, Muhammad (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.