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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 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven"
readMatthew 9:14

Pray that those who are spiritually dead will recognize their need for spiritual nourishment and turn to the One who offers true fulfillment.

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
readGenesis 2:7

Pray that Christians will be able to share the hope of Christ with suffering people and that He will breathe new life into their souls.

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
readNumbers 6:26

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be blessed with peace in their lives, knowing that God is with them.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
readPsalm 96:4

Pray that God will raise up believers to declare His glory among the lost, so that they may know that He is great and greatly to be praised, that He is exalted above all gods.

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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