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Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
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The Limbu of Nepal

The Limbu of Nepal, numbering approximately 412,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous ethnolinguistic people of eastern Nepal, with related communities in India's Sikkim, Darjeeling region of West Bengal, Assam, and parts of Bhutan. They are one of the major Kirati peoples of the eastern Himalayas. They mostly adhere to Kirati and Limbu is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Himalayan Peoples
Country: Nepal
People Cluster: South Himalayan
Primary Language(s): Limbu (lif)
Primary Religion(s): Kirati
Population: 412,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006249
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Pray for the Limbu of Nepal

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Kirati
Religious Affiliation: Other

86%
%
Kirati Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Limbu
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

71%
%
Limbu Speakers

Media Resources in Limbu:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Limbu:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
ILLA and WBT✓✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Limbu bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Limbu 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 Limbu:
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 Limbu of Nepal

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
readPsalm 51:1

Give thanks to God that He is able to forgive all the sins people might commit, and pray that many who don't yet know this will hear the good news and turn to Him for mercy.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
readPsalm 119:105

Pray that they will receive the Word of God as a lamp to their feet and commit their ways to Him.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
readRomans 10:12

Pray that as people from different backgrounds place their faith in Christ, they will be unified by their faith Him.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
read2 Corinthians 12:28

Ask God to raise up believers who will faithfully proclaim the good news and equip others to do the same.

Limbu Across Countries (ROP3 - 105776) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
LimbuPG006249LimbuNepal412,000Engaged yet UnreachedLimbuKirati
LimbuPG041643LimbuIndia243,000Engaged yet UnreachedLimbuHinduism
LimbuPG001232LimbuBhutan4,600Engaged yet UnreachedLimbuKirati

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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