Languages · Profile
उर्दू
Urdu
Spoken by Muslim communities of Madhesh and the Terai, with a poetic and literary tradition shared across South Asia.
413,785
mother tongue speakers in Nepal (2021 census)
1.42%
of Nepal's population
Indo-Aryan
language family
Nastaliq, Devanagari
script
In Nepal
Where it is spoken
Language of Muslim communities of Madhesh and the Terai
Terai districts of Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces, including Banke, Kapilvastu, Rautahat, Parsa and Bara.
MadheshLumbini
Beyond Nepal
Who else speaks it
- India: 50,772,631 speakers (2011 census); a scheduled language
- Pakistan: National language
- Diaspora: Worldwide
The Dehat
Our work in Urdu
Coverage of Muslim communities of Madhesh and the Terai and their cultural life.
Speak Urdu, or know someone who does? We want to hear your stories.
ContributeSources: National Population and Housing Census 2021, Nepal (mother tongue); Census of India 2011. Figures for small and endangered languages are estimates.