Religion in Nepal

Nepal was formerly the world's only constitutionally declared Hindu state, but following the movement for democracy in earlyParliament amended the constitution to make Nepal a secular state.

According to the 2001 census, 80.6 percent of Nepalese are 2006 and the breaking of King Gyanendra's power, the Nepali Hindu, 10.7 percent are Buddhist, 10% are Muslim[1], 3.6 percent are Kirat (an indigenous religion with Hindu influence), 0.5 percent are Christian, and 0.4 percent are classified as other groups such as Bön religion. Although the population is mostly Hindu, since the 1971 census Hindus have shown the greatest decline as a proportion of the population, and Buddhists and Kirats have increased the most: in 1971 Hindus were 89.4 percent of the population, Buddhists 7.5 percent, and Kirats statistically 0 percent. However, statistics on religious groups are complicated by the ubiquity of dual faith practices, particularly among Hindus and Buddhists. Moreover, shifts in the population's religious composition also reflect political changes.