The Limbu of India

The Limbu of India, numbering approximately 243,000 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 Hinduism and Limbu is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Himalayan Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: South Himalayan
Primary Language(s): Limbu (lif)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 243,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041643
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Limbu of India

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

92%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Limbu
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Limbu Speakers

Media Resources in Limbu:

Films:
Title Link
JESUS View Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Limbu:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
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 India

Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
readJerremiah 32:17

Pray that the God who made the heavens and the earth by the power of His outstretched arm, the One who is able to save those who are lost, will show His great love and mercy to those who are walking in darkness.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
readMark 4:20

Pray that those who have never encountered the gospel will have the opportunity to receive it, and that it will fall on good soil and bear much fruit.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
read2 Corinthians 5:18

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will serve as God's ambassadors, sharing the message of reconciliation with others.

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way.
readPsalm 37:23

Pray that believers from near and far will serve here and trust in the Lord's timing as He establishes their steps.

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

Strategic Progress Index

All

3 people groups

Photo People Group ID Name Country Population ▲ Strategic Progress Index Language Religion
Limbu Limbu Bhutan 4,600 Engaged yet Unreached Limbu Kirati
Limbu Limbu India 243,000 Engaged yet Unreached Limbu Hinduism
Limbu Limbu Nepal 412,000 Engaged yet Unreached Limbu Kirati

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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