Islam in Nepal
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]
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Demographics
According to the 2021 Nepal census, there are around 1.483 million Muslims in Nepal. Almost all of them live in Terai Region.[3] 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.[4]
| 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.[7]
Decadal percentage of Muslims in Nepal[8]
| 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% |
| 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,[10] thus surpassing Buddhism which is currently the 2nd largest Religion in Nepal as of 2021 Nepal census reports.[11]
Islam is rising fast in bordering areas of Nepal. As per as reports, there are 1,047 villages close to Nepal border, out of which in 116 villages have become Muslim-majority. The Muslim population rose by up to 50 percent in the last 10 years. Also in addition, there are 303 villages where Muslim population rose by 30 to 50 percent. The report says, in the last four years, there has been 25 percent rise in the number of mosques and madrasas in those bordering districts of Nepal specially in Terai Region. The number of mosques and madrasas was 1,349 in 2011, but it has increased to 1,688 in 2021 respectively.[12]
References
- Statistical Yearbook of Nepal - 2013. Kathmandu: Central Bureau of Statistics. 2013. p. 23. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
- "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".
- "Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II (Social Demography)" (PDF).
- "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050".
- "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050".
- "Nepal's 81.19 per cent population is Hindu even as followers of Hinduism, Buddhism decline and Islam, Christians increase". 4 June 2023.
- "Opinion | is there a foreign hand behind sharp rise of Muslims in UP, Assam border districts?". 4 August 2022.
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.
