Nepal

The country has an area of 54,363 square miles and a population of 29 million. According to the Government, Hindus constitute 86.51 percent of the population, Buddhists 7.79 percent, Muslims (the majority Sunni) 3.53 percent, and Christians and others 2.17 percent. Members of minority religious groups believe their numbers were significantly undercounted. Christian leaders conservatively estimated the number of their adherents at more than 1 million (3 percent). The National Churches Fellowship of Nepal reported an estimated 335 Christian churches operate in the Kathmandu Valley alone. According to a Jamme Masjid (mosque) official, there are at least 3,500 madrassahs.