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The Helambu Sherpa of Nepal

The Helambu Sherpa of Nepal, numbering approximately 11,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Tibetan-descended people who migrated from Kyirong to Helambu 4-5 centuries ago, settling mid-altitude ridges between 2,000 and 3,500 meters rather than the high valleys favored by Sherpas, practicing Nyingma Buddhism blended with ancestral animism. They mostly adhere to Tibetan Buddhism and Hyolmo is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Helambu Sherpa

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Tibetan Peoples
Country: Nepal
People Cluster: Tibetan
Primary Language(s): Hyolmo (scp)
Primary Religion(s): Tibetan Buddhism
Population: 11,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006218
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Pray for the Helambu Sherpa of Nepal

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Tibetan Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

90%
%
Tibetan Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Hyolmo
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

71%
%
Hyolmo Speakers

Media Resources in Hyolmo:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Hyolmo:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Hyolmo bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Helambu Sherpa are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Helambu Sherpa:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Helambu Sherpa of Nepal

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
readPsalm 19:1

Pray that those who are lost will look to the heavens and see the glory of God displayed, leading them to seek Him and know Him as their Creator and Savior.

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
readPsalm 104:24

Pray that they will see the wisdom and power of God in His creation and praise Him for His mighty works.

It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
readIsaiah 25:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will proclaim and rejoice in His salvation.

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
read2 Thessalonians 3:1-3

Pray that the Word of God will spread throughout this people group and be honored. Ask God to establish His people and guard them from the evil one, testifying to this whole people group of His great faithfulness.

Sherpa, Helambu Across Countries (ROP3 - 103752) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group ID ▲NameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Helambu SherpaPG006218Helambu SherpaNepal11,000Engaged yet UnreachedHyolmoTibetan Buddhism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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