Bhojpuri is a member of the eastern Indo-Aryan subgroup. It is a multiethnic language, spoken as both a first and second language in regions of Nepal and India. To be a bit more specific, it is spoken throughout the Central Madhesh-Terai region of Nepal, as well as in the adjacent regions of Western Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh in India. The largest concentration of Bhojpuri speakers in Nepal can be found in the Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, and Rupandehi districts. According to the 2012 Nepal Census Report, 1,584,958 Nepalese citizens speak Bhojpuri as their mother tongue, comprising 6% of the country's population. However, it should be noted that subsequent research suggests the number of Bhojpuri speakers is closer to 2,000,000. 

Bhojpuri originated in the historical region of Bhojpur, located near Baxar in the present-day Indian state of Bihar. From there, the language and its speakers (Bhojpurias) are believed to have spread throughout Western Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, as well as to other regions of India. They are also thought to have expanded to the Madhesh region of Nepal, extending from the Sarlahi district in the east to the Rupandehi district in the west. The Bhojpuri-speaking region resulted from the Sugauli Treaty (1816) between the then Nepalese government and the East India Company.  

The Bhojpurias themselves have received recognition in the field of agriculture and animal farming. They grow food-grains, fruits, vegetables, lentils, and oil seeds. They keep livestock. It has been argued that they tend to offer physical labor as a way to make a living. Grierson (1927) portrays the community as active and alert with few scruples and considerable abilities. 

There appears to be some disagreement as to how many varieties of the language exist. Grierson (1903) documents three main varieties of the language: the standard, the western, and Nagpuria. Tiwari (1954), on the other hand, documents five: the northern standard, the southern standard, the western standard, Nagpuria, and the Nepalese variety.