भोजपुरी
Bhojpuri
One of the great languages of the Himalayan-Gangetic world, with folk music known across the globe, a vast cinema audience and a literature stretching back centuries. In Nepal it has too often been told to speak more quietly.
Where it is spoken
Underserved in Nepal's media and education
Spoken across Madhesh and the central and western Terai: Parsa, Bara and Rautahat in Madhesh Province, and Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi in Lumbini Province.
Who else speaks it
- India: 50,579,447 speakers (2011 census), across western Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand
- Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago: Descendants of indentured labourers carried Bhojpuri across the oceans, where it shaped local languages and song
- Diaspora: The Gulf, Europe and North America
Our work in Bhojpuri
A Bhojpuri editorial desk, oral history project, music archive and literary platform.
Speak Bhojpuri, or know someone who does? We want to hear your stories.
ContributeSources: National Population and Housing Census 2021, Nepal (mother tongue); Census of India 2011. Figures for small and endangered languages are estimates.