Muslims population is increasing in India’s neighboring Hindu country Nepal, know from where they came and settled

New Delhi. Islam started in Arabia in the 7th century. But now it is the second largest religion in the world. Along with this, Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the world at this time. The US-based Pew Research Center says that if the trend of increasing Muslim population remains the same, then the time is not far when they will become the largest in the world. It estimates that according to the speed at which the Muslim population is increasing, by the year 2070, the most people in the world will be followers of Islam. Nepal was earlier a Hindu nation. After the end of monarchy and the restoration of democracy, it was declared a secular country.

If we talk about India’s neighboring Hindu country Nepal, then according to the latest census report, there has been a slight decline in the population of Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal in the last decade, while the population of Muslims and Christians has increased. Islam is the third largest religion in Nepal. According to the 2021 census in Nepal, about 1.5 million Muslims live in Nepal, which is 5.09 percent of the population there. According to a statistic, the Muslim population in Nepal was 4.39 percent in 2011. That is, the Muslim population in Nepal has increased by about 0.69 percent in a decade.

Who are Nepali Muslims
The ancestors of the Muslims living in Nepal settled in this Himalayan country from different parts of South Asia. Since then they have been living among Hindus and Buddhists in numerical abundance. Most of the Muslims of Nepal are not ethnically Nepalese. They are similar to the Muslim population of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar living in India. They share the same culture and speak the same language. Most of the Muslim population of Nepal lives in the Terai region. While the rest are mainly found in Kathmandu, Gorkha city and the western hills. The districts with large Muslim population include Sarlahi (about 10 percent), Rautahat (about 18 percent), Bara (about 12 percent) and Parsa (about 18 percent). Apart from this, Banke, Kapilavastu, Mahottari and Sunsari also have a significant Muslim population.

How many Hindus and Buddhists are there
The 2021 census report published by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal states that Hinduism is the predominant religion in Nepal, which is 81.19 percent of the total population. According to the report, there are about two crore, 37 lakh people who follow Hinduism in the country. Buddhism is the second largest religion in the country with about 24 lakh followers, which is 8.2 percent of the total population of Nepal. Islam is followed by about 14,8300 people and it is the third most followed religion with 5.09 percent of the total population. The report shows that the population of Hindus and Buddhists has declined marginally in the last decade, while the population of Muslims, Christians and Kiratas has increased. The number of followers of Hinduism and Buddhism has declined by 0.11 per cent and 0.79 per cent respectively in the last 10 years.

Christianity is the fifth largest religion
According to the data, similarly, the population of Islam increased by 0.69, Kirata by 0.17 and Christians by 0.36 per cent. At the time of the 2011 census, this Himalayan country had 81.3 per cent Hindus, 9 per cent Buddhists, 4.39 per cent Muslims, 3.1 per cent Kiratas and 0.1 per cent Christians. The fifth largest religion in the country is Christianity, with about 5,12000 people or 1.76 per cent of the total population following it. While the indigenous Kirata religion is the fourth largest religion with 3.17 per cent followers. Out of the ten religions followed by Nepalese, five minor religions include Prakriti, Bon, Jain, Bahai and Sikh.

Nepali is the most spoken language
A total of 124 languages ​​are spoken in Nepal, out of which Nepali is spoken by 44 percent of the population. After that Maithali is spoken by 11.05 percent and Bhojpuri by 6.24 percent of the population. Similarly, Tharu language is spoken by 5.88 percent of the population while Tamang language is spoken by 4.88 percent of the population.