Indo-Aryan language

Maithili

मैथिली

Maithili is spoken as a mother tongue by 3,222,389 people in Nepal — 11.05% of the population and the 2nd most-spoken language in the country (Census 2021).

Speakers

3,222,389

Mother tongue (2021)

Share of Nepal

11.05%

Language family

Indo-Aryan

Rank

By mother-tongue speakers

About Maithili

Language of Mithila; traditional Tirhuta script

Indo-Aryan family

Related languages

← All 124 languages of Nepal

Questions

Maithili, answered

How many people speak Maithili in Nepal?+

Maithili is the mother tongue of 3,222,389 people in Nepal — 11.05% of the population (Census 2021).

What language family does Maithili belong to?+

Maithili is a Indo-Aryan language. The Indo-European (Indo-Aryan) family covers 83.07% of Nepal's population.

What is special about Maithili?+

Language of Mithila; traditional Tirhuta script

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.