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
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Limbu 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.

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

Bible Resources in Limbu:

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

1 entry

Or check out the Limbu bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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

For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.
readLuke 19:10

Pray that those who are lost will respond to the One who came to seek and save the lost, and experience the joy of being found.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
readPsalm 1:1-2

Pray that God will call out many sons and daughters from among them and give them a deep love for His Word.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
readPsalm 23:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember that the Lord is their shepherd, providing for their every need.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
readJohn 12:24

Pray that God will raise up men and women who are willing to die to their own desires, bearing much fruit for the kingdom among individuals and in places where His gospel has not been proclaimed.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

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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