Gurung traditional areas are from the eastern part of Gorkha district through Lamjung District and Kaski District through Syanja district. Gurungs predominantly practice their ancient Bon religion, which is Shamanistic and animistic in nature. Gurungs later came to adopt Tibetan Buddhism. Some Gurungs of eastern Nepal have also been influenced by the Hindu religion. The main occupation of the Gurung people is aggriculture but some breed animals like sheep.  There are roughly 450,000 Gurungs in Nepal totaling about 2.43% of the population. 

The Gurungs are also one of the major groups from Nepal representing Gurkhas, the feared soldiers making up part of the English and Indian armies. The Gurkhas are known for their endurance and bravery. There is a World War II story of a British regiment leader asking for volunteers for a dangerous mission to drop from a plane in enemy territory and only about half of the men came forward. Once it was explained they were going to use parachutes, they all volunteered. Today, some of the wealthier families in the Pokhara area include retired Gurkha soldiers due mainly to their compensation from the British government.

Although treated as such by historical Hindu Kings, the Gurung people do not fall into the Hindu caste system since the mongoloid societies of Tibet and China from which the Gurungs came had no caste system and within themselves the Gurungs do not practice caste rules.

Yet for several centuries, at least, the Gurungs and other hill peoples have been mixing with the caste cultures of Aryan India and they have been influenced by them in various ways.

There are more than a hundred family names ( Thars ) known within the Gurung people.

Some of the names are:

Ghyapring and Pachyu (priest),                                                                                    

Ghale, Ghotane and Lamchhane ( which divide into various sub-groups with different names )

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