Nepali - Worldwide Distribution

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Picture NepaliSpread of the Nepali languageNepali (proper name: नेपाली) is the official language of Nepal and is spoken there as a native language by around 45% of the population. Nepali is also spoken by smaller communities in India and Bhutan. In India, it has the status of a recognized minority language.

In total, there are around 15 million people worldwide who use Nepali as a first or second language. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in Nepal, but is also used in Bhutan, Myanmar and among the Nepali-speaking inhabitants of India. In India, Nepali is particularly present in the regions of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal as well as in the state of Sikkim, where it is an official language. There are also smaller Nepali diaspora communities outside of South Asia. These include the Middle East, North America and Europe.

Distribution Nepali► Interactive map

Origin and development of the Nepali language

Picture Nepali Nepali, also known as "Nepalese", is an Indo-Aryan language from the subgroup of Pahari languages. The language has its roots in Sanskrit, similar to other modern languages of northern India. Historical records of the language date back to the 12th century, with the development of early Nepali being heavily influenced by the medieval states of the Khasa kingdom, which encompassed what is now western Nepal and parts of northern India. The language, then called Khas Kura, was first written in the Brahmi script and later in the Devanagari script, which is still used for Nepali today.

The standardization of Nepali began in the 19th century, when the Kingdom of Nepal attempted to unify the various local dialects and languages. During this time, Nepali received many loan words from Sanskrit, the Tibeto-Burman languages and later also from English. In the 20th century, especially after the democratization of Nepal in 1951, Nepali experienced a considerable upswing as a medium of education, administration and media, consolidating its role as the country's lingua franca.

CountryOfficial languageDistributionTotal
Nepalyes44.6 %13,224,000
Indiano0.2 %2,902,000
Bhutanno14.8 %117,000
Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers — not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Nepali as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.

Official language, national language or lingua franca: explanation of frequently used terms🔎︎

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