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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

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
read1 Timothy 6:9

Pray for those, rich and poor, who have put their trust in worldly things, and ask that they will be honest with themselves, acknowledge their need for God and turn to Him.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
readRomans 5:11

Pray for the gospel to advance and for more people to be brought into God's family through the reconciliation Jesus offers them.

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
readPsalm 34:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be grounded in the Word, always trusting in the Lord's provision for their needs.

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
readMatthew 10:14-15

Pray for God to raise up and send out believers to share the gospel with those in this people group who do not yet follow Christ. Pray that they will be welcomed with open arms so that the people they share with will hear and receive the good news with joy.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress Index ▼LanguageReligion
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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