Office of the Attorney General

Nepal has a population of nearly 24 million. The population is growing rapidly in fact, at a rate of 2.3% per year. Nepal's inhabitants belong to various racial, ethnic and linguistic groups, ranging from Aryan to Tibeto-Burmese and Austro-Dravidian. As many as thtree dozen different and sometimes mutually untelligible languages of Sanskrit and Tibeto-Burmese groups are spoken in Nepal.

The great majority of Nepalese people hold either Hindu or Buddhist faith, or a combination of both. The latest official reports state that hindus make up 86.5% of population, Buddhists 7.8 % and Muslims 3.5%. Small proportions of Nepal's population are tribal and are essentially animist in their religious beliefs.

Nepali is the national language as stated by the Constitution. It is thus the language of official communication. It is the mother tongue of Bramins and Chetris, but is spoken by most Nepalese. However, the number of different languages that are spoken in the country shows Nepal's cultural diversity. Ethnic groups such as the Tharu, Newari, Limbu, maithali, Bhojpuri, Gurung, Tamang, Magar, Bengali, Majhi, Sherpa, Rai, Dhimal and Abadhi all have their own languages.