People of Nepal · Census 2021

Ethnic Groups of Nepal नेपालका जातजाति

The 2021 census counted 142 distinct caste and ethnic groups among Nepal's 29.16 million people — and not one of them is a majority. From the Khas Arya hills to the Madhesi plains, from 59 recognised indigenous nationalities to the Dalit communities the constitution explicitly protects, this page lays out who Nepalis are: the top-20 table, the eight broad categories, and the inclusion framework built after decades of exclusion.

Caste & ethnic groups

142

Enumerated in the final NPHC 2021 report

Largest group

Chhetri · 16.45%

4,796,995 people · Hill Brahman second at 11.29%

Indigenous nationalities

59 recognised

NFDIN Act 2002 · Humlo added in July 2024

Census

2021 (2078 BS)

Final report published 24 March 2023

The big ten

Nepal's ten largest groups

Together the top ten account for roughly two-thirds of the population — yet the largest, Chhetri, is barely one in six Nepalis.

Chhetriक्षेत्री16.45% · 4,796,995

Brahman (Hill)पहाडी ब्राह्मण11.29% · 3,292,373

Magarमगर6.9% · 2,013,498

Tharuथारू6.2% · 1,807,124

Tamangतामाङ5.62% · 1,639,866

Bishwokarmaविश्वकर्मा5.04% · 1,470,010

Recorded as 'Kami' in earlier censuses; the community's chosen umbrella name is now used

Musalmanमुसलमान4.86% · 1,418,677

Newa (Newar)नेवार4.6% · 1,341,363

Yadavयादव4.21% · 1,228,581

Raiराई2.2% · 640,674

Reference table

The top 20, with category

The 20 largest of the 142 groups, as published in the final census report. Each is tagged with its broad social category — explained below the table.

Rank	Group	Population	% of Nepal	Category
1	Chhetriक्षेत्री	4,796,995	16.45%	Khas Arya
2	Brahman (Hill)पहाडी ब्राह्मण	3,292,373	11.29%	Khas Arya
3	Magarमगर	2,013,498	6.9%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
4	Tharuथारू	1,807,124	6.2%	Terai Janajati
5	Tamangतामाङ	1,639,866	5.62%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
6	Bishwokarmaविश्वकर्मा	1,470,010	5.04%	Hill Dalit
7	Musalmanमुसलमान	1,418,677	4.86%	Muslim
8	Newa (Newar)नेवार	1,341,363	4.6%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
9	Yadavयादव	1,228,581	4.21%	Madhesi castes
10	Raiराई	640,674	2.2%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
11	Pariyar (Damai/Dholi)परियार	565,932	1.94%	Hill Dalit
12	Gurungगुरुङ	543,790	1.86%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
13	Thakuriठकुरी	494,470	1.7%	Khas Arya
14	Mijar (Sarki)मिजार	452,229	1.55%	Hill Dalit
15	Teliतेली	431,347	1.48%	Madhesi castes
16	Yakthung (Limbu)लिम्बू	414,704	1.42%	Hill & Mountain Janajati
17	Chamar/Harijan/Ramचमार	393,255	1.35%	Madhesi Dalit
18	Kushwahaकुशवाहा	355,707	1.22%	Madhesi castes
19	Kurmiकुर्मी	277,786	0.95%	Madhesi castes
20	Musaharमुसहर	264,974	0.91%	Madhesi Dalit

Eight broad categories

Reading the categories

Nepali demography is usually discussed through these broad social categories — they shape everything from electoral quotas to development indices.

Khas Arya

Chhetri, Hill Brahman, Thakuri and Sanyasi communities of the hills — ≈30.1% of the population combined.

Hill & Mountain Janajati

Indigenous nationalities of the hills and high Himalaya — Magar, Tamang, Newar, Rai, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa and others — ≈21.5%.

Hill Dalit

Bishwokarma, Pariyar and Mijar communities — ≈8.6%; historically artisan castes, constitutionally protected against discrimination.

Terai Janajati

Indigenous peoples of the plains, led by the Tharu (6.2%) — ≈8.9% combined.

Madhesi castes

Yadav, Teli, Kushwaha, Kurmi and other plains communities with cross-border cultural ties — ≈16.1%.

Madhesi Dalit

Chamar, Musahar, Dusadh and other Terai Dalit communities — ≈4.8%.

Muslim

Nepal's Muslim community, concentrated in the Terai — 4.86%.

Others

Marwadi, Bengali, Punjabi and other smaller communities, plus foreigners and unstated — ≈0.5%.

Naming matters

Names the communities chose themselves

The 2021 census adopted community-chosen umbrella names for several Hill Dalit groups in place of older occupational labels: Bishwokarma (recorded as 'Kami' in earlier censuses), Pariyar (formerly Damai/Dholi) and Mijar (formerly Sarki). Where older labels appear in historical tables, both names are shown — a small change in a statistical report, and a meaningful one for the 2.5 million people it names.

Janajati & inclusion

Recognition, from schedule to constitution

Indigenous nationality status and proportional inclusion are legal categories in Nepal, not just census ones — and the three ecological belts show where each community calls home.

59 recognised indigenous nationalities

The NFDIN Act 2002 schedules 59 Adivasi Janajati groups; the Council of Ministers recognised the Humlo as an additional indigenous nationality on 11 July 2024, and a task force has proposed ≈25 more candidates.

Proportional inclusion is constitutional

The 2015 Constitution reserves proportional electoral lists and public-service quotas for women, Dalits, Adivasi Janajati, Madhesi, Tharu, Muslims and backward regions — the institutional answer to the exclusion that fuelled past conflicts.

Terai (plains)

53.7%

15,665,828 people

Madhesi castes, Tharu, Musalman, Madhesi Dalit

Hill (Pahad)

40.3%

11,748,548 people

Khas Arya, Hill Janajati (Magar, Tamang, Newar, Rai, Gurung…), Hill Dalit

Mountain (Himal)

6.1%

1,778,104 people

Sherpa, Thakali, Dolpo, Lo-pa, Byansi and other high-Himalayan peoples

Common questions

Ethnic groups FAQ

How many castes and ethnic groups does Nepal have?

The final National Population and Housing Census 2021 enumerates 142 distinct caste and ethnic groups. The five largest are Chhetri (16.45%), Hill Brahman (11.29%), Magar (6.9%), Tharu (6.2%) and Tamang (5.62%) — and no single group is a majority.

What is the largest ethnic group in Nepal?

Chhetri, with 4,796,995 people (16.45% of the population). Together with Hill Brahman (3,292,373), Thakuri and Sanyasi, the Khas Arya communities of the hills make up about 30.1% of Nepal — the largest broad category, but still well short of a majority.

What are the Adivasi Janajati (indigenous nationalities)?

The NFDIN Act 2002 schedules 59 recognised indigenous nationalities — including Magar, Tamang, Newar, Rai, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa in the hills and Tharu in the Terai. The Council of Ministers recognised the Humlo as an additional indigenous nationality on 11 July 2024, and a task force has proposed around 25 more candidates. Hill and Mountain Janajati are about 21.5% of the population and Terai Janajati about 8.9%.

Which groups are Dalit, and what protections exist?

Hill Dalit communities — Bishwokarma, Pariyar and Mijar — are about 8.6% of the population, and Madhesi Dalit communities such as Chamar, Musahar and Dusadh about 4.8%. The 2015 Constitution protects Dalits against discrimination and reserves proportional electoral lists and public-service quotas for them, alongside women, Adivasi Janajati, Madhesi, Tharu, Muslims and backward regions.

Keep exploring

People of Nepal →The hub: population by province, religion, ecological belts and the census headline figures.Languages →124 mother tongues, five families, fifteen scripts — and the endangered Kusunda isolate.Political history →How exclusion fuelled conflict — and how federalism and proportional inclusion answered it.

Sources & data note

All population, ethnicity, language and religion figures are the final published counts of the National Population and Housing Census 2021 (National Statistics Office). The NSO enumerates 142 caste/ethnic groups and 124 mother tongues; entries for 'others/foreigners/not stated' explain small residuals. Where community-chosen names replaced older census labels (Bishwokarma for Kami, Pariyar for Damai/Dholi, Mijar for Sarki), both are shown. Language-family shares follow the NSO's own table (Indo-Aryan 83.07%, Sino-Tibetan 16.59%); some secondary sources round differently.