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Is Nepal a secular country?

Nepal is constitutionally secular, but its constitution defines secularism as religious and cultural freedom, not strict state-neutrality.

Claim checked · Quick check · · 1 min read · 5 sources · 1 read

Asked as: “Is Nepal a secular country?”

The short answer

Yes, Nepal is a secular country under its current constitution. Article 4 says Nepal is a “secular” state, and the constitution explains that as “protection of religion, culture handed down from the time immemorial” plus religious and cultural freedom. ²³

The key point is that Nepal’s secularism is constitutional, not just political rhetoric. Article 26 also protects religious freedom and the rights of religious communities to manage and protect their places and trusts, subject to law. ²³

Key facts

  • The current Constitution of Nepal, in Article 4, lists Nepal as a “secular” state. ²³
  • The constitution’s explanation clause defines secularism as protection of religion and culture and religious/cultural freedom. ²³
  • Article 26 protects the right to profess, practice, and preserve religion, and gives religious communities certain management rights over religious sites and guthis. ²³
  • Nepal’s Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063, already used the secular label. ⁴
  • Nepal’s 2047 Constitution called the country a “Hindu, constitutional monarchy,” showing that the status changed over time. ⁵

What Nepal’s constitution means by “secular”

Nepal does not use “secular” in a narrow, anti-religion sense. Its constitution says the term includes protection of religion and culture practiced since ancient times, along with religious and cultural freedom. That makes Nepal best understood as a secular state with an affirmative-protection model, not as a system that simply ignores religion. ²³

How the status changed over time

Before the republic era, Nepal’s 2047 Constitution described the kingdom as Hindu. The Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063, then declared Nepal secular, and the 2015 Constitution kept that status in force. So the answer is yes today, but no in Nepal’s older constitutional order. ⁴⁵

Frequently asked questions

When did Nepal become secular?

Nepal became secular in the constitutional transition that produced the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063, which already called Nepal a secular state. The 2015 Constitution preserved that label. ⁴²³

Does secular mean Nepal has no religion?

No. In Nepal’s constitution, secularism still includes protection of religion and culture, and Article 26 protects religious freedom. So Nepal is secular in a constitutional sense, but its model still gives religion a protected public place. ²³

Was Nepal always secular?

No. Nepal’s 2047 Constitution described the state as a “Hindu, constitutional monarchy.” The secular label is a later constitutional change, not an old one. ⁵⁴

Sources

Numbered to match the footnotes above. Every link opens the original.

  1. 1.
    नेपालको संविधानNepal Law Commission · lawcommission.gov.np · current page
  2. 2.
    नेपालको संविधानNepal Law Commission · repository.lawcommission.gov.np · archived constitution text
  3. 3.
    Constitution of Nepal, 2015, NepalWIPO Lex · cdn.nestjs.wipolex.wji.prd.web1.wipo.int · legislation record
  4. 4.
    नेपालको अन्तरिम संविधान, २०६३Nepal Law Commission · repository.lawcommission.gov.np · archived constitution text
  5. 5.
    नेपाल अधिराज्यको संविधान, २०४७Nepal Law Commission · lawcommission.gov.np · archived constitution text
Research trail11 searches · 38 pages consulted · deep pass on September 28, 2026

Searches run

  • › Official Constitution of Nepal secular Article 4 religion PDF
  • › Nepal constitution secular official PDF religion article 26
  • › Constitution of Nepal 2015 secular official pdf
  • › Nepal secular country constitution official article 4
  • › "Nepal is an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular" constitution of nepal
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np secular Nepal constitution article 4 secular
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np constitution of Nepal secular article 4 religion
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np Nepal interim constitution 2063 secular amendment 2007 official
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np secular Nepal 2063 amendment official
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np "अन्तरीम शासन विधान, २००७" secular
  • › site:lawcommission.gov.np "२००७" secular Nepal law commission

Pages consulted

How this brief was made

First written on September 28, 2026, then re-researched in a deeper pass with full web search on September 28, 2026 (gpt-5.4-mini). It cites 5 sources and reached the verdict True with an evidence strength of 97/100. The best available evidence supports the claim. Facts change; if a source has moved or the record has shifted, tell us.

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