Kathmandu, June 5
The National Statistics Office released the details of religion and caste of the National Population Census 2021 on June 2.
According to the National Population Census, despite a decrease in numbers, 81.19 per cent of the total population in the country is Hindu. Out of the 29.166 million, 23.677 million follow Hinduism. Compared to 2011, the Hindu population is down by 0.11 per cent.
Buddhist population also went down by around 0.79 per cent as 2.393 million people or 8.21 per cent follow the religion.
Around 5.09 per cent follow Islam, 3.17 per cent follow Kirat and 1.76 follow Christianity. The number of all three has gone up as Islam has gone up by 0.69 per cent, Kirat by 0.07 per cent and Christan by 0.36 per cent.
The National Population Census states 10 religions are followed in Nepal out of which Prakriti, Bon, Jain, Bahai, and Sikh are minorities.
| Religion | Total | Percentage | Male | Female |
| Hinduism | 23,677,744 | 81.19 | 11,587,529 | 12,090,215 |
| Buddhism | 2,393,549 | 8.29 | 1,159,790 | 1,233,759 |
| Islam | 1,483,066 | 5.09 | 732,006 | 759,060 |
| Kirat | 924,204 | 3.17 | 451,193 | 473,011 |
| Christianity | 512,313 | 1.76 | 240,206 | 272,107 |
| Prakriti | 102,046 | 0.35 | 48,525 | 53,521 |
| Bon | 67,223 | 0.23 | 31,968 | 35,255 |
| Jain | 2,398 | 0.01 | 1,236 | 1,159 |
| Sikh | 1,496 | 0.01 | 859 | 637 |
| Bahai | 537 | 0.01 | 234 | 303 |
Ethnic groups increase
The new data also shows an increase in the total number of ethnic groups in Nepal.
While the previous census in 2011 stated there were 125 ethnic groups, this year, the number has gone up to 142, said the National Statistics Office.
In addition, the number of mother tongues is now 124 out of which Nepali is spoken by almost half of the population as 44 per cent speak it followed by Maithali (11.05 per cent) and Bhojpuri (6.24 per cent).
