Where the church stands in Nepal
Nepal was a closed Hindu kingdom until 1951. There was effectively no Nepali church — estimates put the number of known believers in single or double digits. Conversion carried a prison sentence well into the 1990s.
Today the Nepali church numbers in the hundreds of thousands and by some measures has been among the fastest-growing in the world for decades. It grew through Nepali believers, not foreign staff, and it grew fastest during the periods of greatest restriction.
Signs of hope
One of the fastest church-growth stories of the modern era — from near zero to hundreds of thousands within one lifetime.
The honest difficulty
Anti-conversion legislation reintroduced in 2018, and Himalayan Buddhist peoples still almost entirely unreached.
What "Less-reached" means
There is a church, but it is small relative to the population, or the Christian identity is far more widespread than active faith. Much of the nation can still live a whole life without meeting a follower of Jesus.
In Nepal the majority religious context is Hinduism (~81%), Buddhism (~9%). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the Numerous Hindu caste and Himalayan Buddhist communities.
How to pray for Nepal
Prayer is not a substitute for going; it is how going begins. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Praise God for a church that grew from nothing within living memory.
- Pray about anti-conversion laws that put believers at legal risk again.
- Ask God for sound teaching to keep pace with rapid growth.
- Pray for Himalayan Buddhist communities where there is still no church.
People groups in Nepal
A nation is not one people. These are the groups profiled on this site who live here — each with its own language, its own Scripture status, and its own reasons the Gospel has or has not reached it.
Questions people ask about Nepal
Is Nepal an unreached nation?
Nepal is classified as less-reached. There is a church, but it is small relative to the population, or the Christian identity is far more widespread than active faith. Much of the nation can still live a whole life without meeting a follower of Jesus. Roughly 2.5% of the population identifies as Christian and about 2.3% as evangelical, with an estimated 290 of its 350 people groups still considered unreached. Figures are rounded estimates and vary by source and year.
How many Christians are there in Nepal?
About 2.5% of Nepal's roughly 30 million people identify as Christian — approximately 750,000 people. Around 2.3% are evangelical. The largest group still without meaningful Gospel access is the Numerous Hindu caste and Himalayan Buddhist communities.
What is the main religion in Nepal?
Religious affiliation in Nepal: Hinduism (~81%), Buddhism (~9%). About 2.5% of the population identifies as Christian and about 2.3% as evangelical.
How many people groups are there in Nepal?
Joshua Project counts about 350 distinct people groups in Nepal, and 290 of them are considered unreached. Among the least-reached: Numerous Hindu caste and Himalayan Buddhist communities.
How can I pray for Nepal?
Praise God for a church that grew from nothing within living memory. Pray about anti-conversion laws that put believers at legal risk again. Pick one of these, pray it for two minutes a day for a week, and ask one other person to pray it with you.