Lhotshampa

The Lhotshampa, also spelled Lhotsampa (Nepali: ल्होत्साम्पा; Tibetan: ལྷོ་མཚམས་པ་), are a group of people in Bhutan who are of Nepali descent. They are a mixed community, meaning they come from different backgrounds, but they share a common Nepali heritage. As of 2008, the U.S. Department of State estimated that Lhotshampa made up about 35% of Bhutan's population. Most of them follow Hinduism, and they usually speak the Nepali language.^[5][6]

People of Nepali origin began settling in the southern parts of Bhutan during the 19th century, mainly in areas that were uninhabited at the time. The word "Lhotshampa" comes from the Dzongkha language and means "southern borderlanders". This term started being officially used by the Bhutanese government in the second half of the 20th century to describe the Nepali-speaking population living in the south.^[7]

However, in the 1990s, a major crisis happened. More than 100,000 Lhotshampa were forcibly displaced and forced to leave Bhutan, losing their homes and citizenship.^[8][9]

After being displaced as a result of the state-run ethnic cleansing and living in refugee camps in eastern parts of Nepal, starting in 2007 most of the Bhutanese refugees were resettled to various countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. As of 2021, the number of Lhotshampa in Nepal is significantly lower than that in the United States and other countries where they have resettled.^[10]