Present-day country
Nepal
10 nations list Nepal among their present-day countries.
Present-day countries are listed by ISO 3166 names. Many nations live across more than one.
10 nations
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Kurukh
Also known as Oraon
Lands Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal in India, with communities in Assam, Bangladesh and Nepal
Odisha counted 358,112 Kurukh (Oraon) people in 2011; many farm and practice crafts such as carpentry, rope making and weaving date palm leaf mats.
Source: Odisha State Tribal Museum (SCSTRTI, Government of Odisha) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Magar
Lands Hills of the Rapti and Gandaki river basins in western and central Nepal, and communities across Nepal
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Magar as an official language for both Gandaki and Karnali provinces.
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Newa
Also known as Newar
Lands Swanigah, the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur), and towns across Nepal
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Nepal Bhasa, alongside Tamang, as an official language of Bagmati Province.
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Rai
Also known as Kirat Rai
Lands Majh Kirat, also called Khambuwan, in the middle hills of eastern Nepal between the Dudh Koshi and Arun rivers, plus Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari and the Kathmandu Valley
The Rai homeland is Majh Kirat, also called Khambuwan, in the middle hills of eastern Nepal.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Santal
Also known as Santhal
Lands Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and nearby states of India, northwest Bangladesh, and Nepal
On 25 December 2025, India's Constitution was released in the Santali language, written in the Ol Chiki script.
Source: President's Secretariat, India (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Sherpa
Lands Solukhumbu and the upper Dudh Koshi and Sun Koshi valleys of northeastern Nepal, from Solu to Helambu, and Kathmandu
In Nepal's 2021 census, 90.3 percent of Sherpa people reported Sherpa as their own language.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Tamang
Lands Hills around the Kathmandu Valley and central Nepal
Tamang is the mother tongue of about 4.88 percent of Nepal's population, according to the 2021 census.
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Tamu
Also known as Gurung
Lands Tamuwan, the hills between the Trishuli and Kali Gandaki rivers in central Nepal, including Gorkha, Lamjung, Kaski, Syangja, Manang and Mustang
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Gurung, the Tamu language, as an official language of Gandaki Province.
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Tharu
Lands The Terai plains of southern Nepal, and neighbouring India
Tharu is the mother tongue of about 5.88 percent of Nepal's population, according to the 2021 census.
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Yakthung
Also known as Limbu
Lands Limbuwan in the eastern hills of Nepal, including Taplejung, Panchthar, Terhathum and Ilam, plus Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari, with communities in Sikkim and Darjeeling, India
In Nepal's 2021 census, 84.5 percent of Yakthung people reported Limbu as their mother tongue, a language with its own script, Sirijanga.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked