FIELD REPORTS

People groups least evangelised in the world by continent.

• AFRICA
latin & north america.
asia
europe
the pacific

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REPORT ON AFRICA

 

STATISTICS OF LEVEL OF EVANGELISM IN AFRICA.


Country Population
(million)
Main Religion Non-
Christian(%)
All Christian
(%)
Evangelical
(%)
Algeria 31.5 M 99.7 0.3 0.2
Angola 12.9 X 5.9 94.1 16.4
Benin 6.1 EXM 68.2 31.8 4.2
Botswana 1.6 XE 33.1 66.9 8.0
British Indian Ocean 0.0 na 0.0 0.0 0.0
Burkina Faso 11.9 MEX 81.6 18.4 8.0
Burundi 6.7 XE 9.9 90.1 20.0
Cameroon 15.1 XM 31.0 69.0 6.4
Cape Verde Islands 0.4 X 4.9 95.1 4.7
Central African Republic 3.6 XME 29.6 70.4 34.8
Chad 7.7 MXE 72.2 27.8 13.5
Comoros 0.6 M 99.2 0.8 0.1
Congo 2.9 X 8.7 91.3 13.8
Congo-DRC 51.7 X 4.7 95.3 19.4
Côte d'Ivoire 14.8 MXE 68.2 31.8 9.2
Djibouti 0.6 M 95.3 4.7 0.1
Egypt 68.5 M 87.0 13.0 2.5
Equatorial Guinea 0.5 X 4.9 95.1 3.2
Eritrea 3.9 MX 52.6 47.4 1.7
Ethiopia 62.6 XM 35.0 65.0 19.7
Gabon 1.2 XEM 22.1 77.9 14.2
Gambia , The 1.3 ME 95.9 4.1 0.3
Ghana 20.2 XME 36.5 63.6 14.8
Guinea 7.4 ME 95.3 4.7 1.0
Guinea-Bissau 1.2 MEX 85.7 14.3 1.1
Kenya 30.1 XEM 21.4 78.6 35.8
Lesotho 2.2 XE 28.2 71.9 8.2
Liberia 3.2 EXM 61.7 38.3 9.1
Libya 5.6 M 97.5 2.5 0.3
Madagascar 15.9 XEM 37.2 62.8 8.8
Malawi 10.9 XME 22.2 77.8 20.4
Mali 11.2 ME 98.2 1.8 0.8
Mauritania 2.7 M 99.8 0.2 0.0
Mauritius 1.2 HXM 67.1 32.9 7.9
Mayotte 0.1 M 97.1 2.9 0.0
Morocco 28.2 M 99.9 0.1 0.0
Mozambique 19.7 XEM 42.4 57.7 13.5
Namibia 1.7 XEN 20.1 80.0 10.3
Niger 10.7 M 99.6 0.4 0.1
Nigeria 111.5 XME 47.4 52.6 23.5
Réunion 0.7 XHN 15.1 84.9 5.2
Rwanda 7.7 XM 19.2 80.8 22.8
São Tomé 0.1 X 7.1 92.9 2.2
Senegal 9.5 M 95.2 4.8 0.1
Seychelles 0.1 X 3.1 96.9 5.3
Sierra Leone 4.9 MEX 88.3 11.7 3.2
Somalia 10.1 M 100.0 0.1 0.0
South Africa 40.4 XEN 26.5 73.5 19.3
St Helena 0.0 X 4.3 95.7 5.2
Sudan 29.5 MXE 76.8 23.2 10.3
Swaziland 1.0 XE 17.3 82.7 29.4
Tanzania 33.5 XME 48.6 51.4 17.0
Togo 4.6 XEM 49.3 50.7 9.0
Tunisia 9.6 M 99.8 0.2 0.0
Uganda 21.8 XM 11.4 88.7 46.3
Western Sahara 0.3 M 0.0 0.0 0.0
Zambia 9.2 XE 15.0 85.0 25.0
Zimbabwe 11.7 XE 28.3 71.7 25.3
Total (58 countries) 784.3 M

51.6 48.4 14.8
KEY: B = Budhist; Ch = Chinese; E = Ethnic (Traditional) religion; H = Hindu; J = Jewish; M = Muslim; N = Non-religious; S = Christians marginal sects; X = Christian; Z = Other, various combined groups.
Credits: Operation World, 2000.

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LIST OF PEOPLE GROUPS LEAST EVANGELISED IN AFRICA.
Listed by country

  1. ALGERIA
    Virtually the whole nation of Algeria : Tuareg, Muzab, Berbers people of mountain, Shawiya, Shilha, Imazighen.
  2. ANGOLA
    Mashi/Mbwela; Mbukushu; Ngankala, Herero; Kwangali; Nyaneka, San; School children and students generally.
  3. BENIN
    Fon; Gbe; Nagot; Idacca; Ife ; Muslim community: Mokole, Anii, Dyerma, Hausa, Mosii, Fulbe (Fula).
  4. BOTSWANA
    Bakgalagadi (Mixed Tswana and San); Kalanga; Yeyi; Mbukushu; Subia; San; Herero;
  5. BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN(SEE MAURITIUS)
  6. BURKINA FASO
    Soninke; Jula; Tuareg; Bolon; Kurumba; Songhai; Doghosie; Komono; Fulbe; Dogon; Bulsa; Gurenne; Senufo; Lobiri; Guma; Bobo; Gurunsi.
  7. BURUNDI
    Twa
  8. CAMEROUN
    Fulbe; Kanuri ; Kotoko; Hausa ; Fali ; Mbum; Shuwa Arabs; Mandara; Giziga; Mofu; Kapsiki; Gude; Gidar; Pygmies.
  9. CAPE VERDE ISLAND
    Caboverdians; Muslims; traditional ethnics; non-religious.
  10. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
    Runga; Kara; Luto; Mbororo Fulbe; Arabs; Sudanese; Chadians; Hausa; nomadic Shuwa Arabs; Pygmy; Bofi; Bokoto ; Gbaya; Langbassi; Banda; Sara .
  11. CHAD
    The Saharan peoples (living in the northern deserts, Tibesti Mountains and northern shores of Lake Chad); the Naba (living between N'Djamena and the Guera mountains); The Guera Mountains dwellers (largely Muslims); The Ouaddai peoples (Muslim and live in the eastern provinces of Biltine, Ouaddai and Salamat bordering Sudan): Maba; Massalit, Runga, Assangori, Tama, Shuwa Arabs; T he Chari-Bagirm: The Barma, Chari River side dwellers; Arabs; The nomadic Mbororo Fulbe; N'Djamena .
  12. FEDERAL ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF THE COMOROS
    Mixed Arab; Makua; Malagasy; Réunionese; Arab; Njazidja and Nzwani (Anjouan).
  13. CONGO
    Teke (at the centre and north); Pygmy tribes (semi-nomadic jungle groups); Punu; Nzebi; Pol; Tsaangi; Pande.
  14. CONGO DRC
    Street children (especially in Kinshasa); The Kimbanguist Church (where Kimbangu, the founder, is revered as the Holy Spirit or seen as a visible image of Christ); the intellectuals and wealthy elite in Kinshasa; inhabitants of swamplands north-east of Kinshasa ; t he Swahili-speaking Muslim communities; Hunde; Bira; Lega; Kuba; Nyanga; t he Pygmy peoples .
  15. COTE D'IVOIRE
    The Muslim Soninke; Bambara; Wassulunke; Fulbe from several countries; traditional Bisa; Wolof from Senegal; Tuaregs from Mali; Hausa from Niger and Nigeria; Lebanese and North African Muslims; Malinke; Fulbe (the Malinke/Fulbe are 99.9% non-Christian); and Jula-speaking peoples.
  16. DJIBOUTI
    The Afars; Somalis; Arabs (both local and Yemeni) ; the ethnic minorities (Greek, French and Indians).
  17. EGYPT
    Peasants in squalid slums; The fellahin (peasants) in the rural villages of the Nile Valley; the Nubians of Upper Egypt (for centuries a Christian kingdom, but eventually under pressure became Muslim in the 17th Century); the desert dwellers (Bedouin, Siwa Berber and others); Arab visitors to Egypt (from many ‘closed' Muslim lands).
  18. EQUATORIAL GUINEA
    Ngumba; Yaka; Batanga; Benga; the mainland dwellers; Annobon Island dwellers.
  19. ERITREA
    Tigre (entirely Muslim , Eritrean or Ethiopian Semitic people); Jabarti (Muslim minority among the Tigrinya); the Afar and related Saho (m any are nomadic); Beja and Nara (m any are nomadic); Arab Rashiada (migrated from Saudi Arabia in the 19 th Century).
  20. ETHIOPIA
    Amhara and Tigray (nominal Christians); Muslims: Somali (Dire Dawa), Harari and Afar Oromia (Aari, Borana and Guji Oromo); Bench; Bodi; Bumi; Hamer-Banna; Daasenach; Dime; Ebore; Karo; Me'en; Mali; Mursi; Tarra; Tsamai and Wata; Sudanese refugees.
  21. GABON
    Kota ; Mbede; Mahongwe; Mbangwe; Tsangi; Teke; Fang; Babing and Pygmies.
  22. GAMBIA
    The majority Muslims: Mandinka, Soninke, Fulbe, Tukulor; Wolof, Jola, Serer, Manjako; traditional ethnics.
  23. GHANA
    Sisaala; Kasena; Mamprusi; Nankana and Bulsa; Frafra; Bimoba; Kusasi and Tampulma; T raditional peoples of the Northern region (e.g. Birifor and Konkomba Nawuri, Nchumburu and others); Gonja; Dagomba; Kotokoli; Wali; Fulbe; Ewe; t rokosi (women enslaved by fetish priests); Abandoned; homeless street children.
  24. GUINEA
    Guinea is one of the least evangelized countries in Black Africa. Malinke; Fulbe or Futa Jalon ; Susu; Wassulunke; Manya; Mandéni; Tukulor; Jakanke; Fulacunda; and several Baga subgroups.
  25. GUINEA BISSAU
    Fulbe; Mandingo; Beafada; Susu; Nalu; Sarakole; Jakanka; Pajadinka; Badyara Felupe; Bayote; Mankanya; and Mansoanka.
  26. KENYA
    Turkana; Sabaot; Pokot; Rendille; Samburu; Daasenach; Muslim Oromo-related peoples of the northeast: the Borana, related Gabbra and Njemps (Chamus), Garreh-Ajuran Oromo, Orma, Malakote, Munyoyaya, Descendants of the Khoisan (Bushmen) - (Boni, Dahalo, Sanye and Dorobo); Mijikenda peoples of the coastal hills (Giriama, Duruma, Chonyi, Pokomo, Digo, Segeju, Upper Pokomo and Bajun); the coastal Swahili and Arab population; the Somali in the northeast and cities; the Asian community (Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Parsee and Sikh).
  27. LESOTHO
    The Sephiri (secret society to which many churchgoers from most denominations belong); the more syncretistic indigenous churches; Nominally Christian
  28. LIBERIA
    Muslim groups: the Vai, Mende and Manya; Traditional peoples with growing Muslim influence: Dewoin, Gola and Gbandi; Peoples with strong fetish powers: Krahn, Grebo and Kpelle.
  29. LIBYA
    The entire indigenous population is unreached: Arab (above 60%): Bedouin in 5 groups. Berber: About half are Arabized. 8 groups, largest: Nefusi; Jalo; Zuara; Jofra; Ghadames. Other: Black African; Teda; Zaghawa.
  30. MADAGASCAR
    Over 5,000 villages and 5 million people live in the less-evangelized north and south. Malagasy traditionalists: the Sakalava in the west, and the Betsimisaraka, Mahafaly, Bara, Antambahoaka and Tankarana; The Mahafaly on the SW (Shaman healers and witchcraft abound and demonization is a major problem); The Muslims Sakalava, Antemoro, Antankarana; Ethnic minorities: the Muslim Comorians and Gujarati traders.
  31. MALAWI
    The Yao ; the Ngonde and Lambya; the Sena and Lomwe; the Gujarati and Tamil.
  32. MALI
    Of the 34 ethnic groups, only four are more than 1% evangelical. All peoples are in desperate need of the good news. There are 11 groups with no known evangelical believers. Among them are the Jula; Maure; Tukulor; Duun; Mossi; Wolof; Banka; Jotoni; Pana; Samoa; Jalunke; Kagoro; Fulanke; Wassulunke; Songhai; Tuareg; Idaksahak; Dogon.
  33. MAURITANIA
    Haratine (Moors by culture and language); African peoples of the Senegal River Valley (Tukulor, Fulbe, Soninke, Bambara and Wolof); nomads of the desert (descended from Berber and Arab Bedouin tribes).
  34. MAURITIUS
    Muslims community; Rodrigues Islanders; Speakers of major Indian languages (Bhojpuri, Hindi and Urdu); Chinese community; Chagos Islanders.
  35. MAYOTTE
    The Muslim majority (ShiMaore; ShiBushi; Other Comorian).
  36. MOROCCO
    The Berber peoples [Tashilhayt (Ishilhayn, S. Shilha, Souss); Tamazight (C. Shilha); Tarifit (Rif)]; the Maghreb Jews; the nomadic desert tribes; Arabic-speaking: Moroccan Arab; Jebala; Algerian; Hassaniya .
  37. MOZAMBIQUE
    The Makhuwa (largely Muslims); coastal Swahili-related peoples; The Makonde in the north-east (partly Muslim and partly animist); The Yao of Niassa Province (96% Muslim); peoples of the Zambezi valley (especially the Sena, Kunda, Podzo, Nyungwe, Chwabo, Lolo, Kokola, Manyawa, Marenje and Takwane); Makua; The cities (War, famine and poverty have filled Beira and Maputo with refugees.); The Northern Provinces of Cabo Delgado.
  38. NAMIBIA
    The San (Bushmen); the peoples of the Kavango and Caprivi Strip in the north-east (the Yeyi, Mafue, Subiya, Hambukushu, Luchazi and Lozi); the Himba; Dhimba (offshoots of the Herero people); the German- and English-speaking communities
  39. NIGER
    The Tuareg; Zarma; the five Kanuri peoples; Fulbe (Fulani); Songhai; the Tubu peoples; the Sokoto Fulbe; the Kanuri-Mober; the Kanuri-Tumari; Arabs; Kurfey; Mauri; Tyenga; Dendi, Kurtey; Wogo; and the Kado Songhai.
  40. NIGERIA
  41. REUNION
    The nominal catholic Creoles; Malabar religionists, the Hinduism believers; the disadvantaged youth (uneducated, poor, etc.)
  42. RWANDA
    AIDS patients; orphans of the deceased AIDS victims; Pgymy Twa; the Muslims; Detainees and prisoners
  43. SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
    Príncipe islanders; the rural Angolares and the contract labourers; (each group having its own distinct Creole dialect).
  44. SENEGAL
    Wolof; Serer; Fulbe; Tukulor; Jola; Maures; Muslim Mande peoples (Mandinka, Jahanka, Bambara, Kassonke, Soninke and Susu); The smaller peoples on the southern border (animistic or nominally Muslim); the fetishist Mankanya; Bayot; Bainuk; and Ganja.
  45. SEYCHELLES
    The outer and less-populated islands are isolated; the youth.
  46. SIERRA LEONE
    Krio ‘Christian' population and the continued growth of Islam limited church growth in the tribal hinterland; the partially evangelized Temne, Mende, Yalunka, Kuranko; the Kono and Loko; the Muslim Fulbe; Susu Malinke; Vai; and the more traditional North Kissi; Klao; Bom.
  47. SOMALIA
    The majority Northern Somali (Four major clan families: Dir, Daarood, Hawiye, Isxaaq; Numerous clans and sub-clans; largely semi-nomadic); the Southern Somali (More despised; some mixed with Bantu ex-slaves, largely agricultural; Main clan families: Digil, Rahanwiin (Maay-speaking); Garre; Jiddu; Tunni; Dabarre); Bantu (Wagosha-Mushungulu ; Benadiri-Bajuni Swahili); Oromo; Arab; Eyle Khoisan (Bushmen). The Somali Church has been driven underground. A number of believers have been martyred, while others have been publicly named as targets for execution. Somalia is 4 th on the world watch list of nations persecuting Christians.
  48. SOUTH AFRICA
    AIDS victims; Urbanites ( Soweto and Alexandra ( Johannesburg ), Kwa Mashu ( Durban ), Gugulethu ( Cape Town ), Sharpeville, etc.); Young people and children (over 45% of the population is under 20); Muslims: Asians (mainly in the Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal . Most are of Gujarati, Urdu and other Indian ethnic groups.) and Cape Malay communities (who mainly live around Cape Town and are part of the Afrikaans-speaking coloured community); Hindus; The Chinese; The Portuguese and Greek communities; The Jews (in Gauteng and in Cape Town); Mine workers (compounds of the Free State, Gauteng and the Northern Province); Illegal immigrants (especially from Mozambique, Malawi, Angola, Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and even Nigeria).
  49. ST. HELENA
    Transient communities (Large proportion of the working population that lives and works on the communications and military bases of Ascension and the Falklands Islands ).
  50. SUDAN
    The Darfur Province in the west (Christian a millennium ago but now one of the least evangelized areas on earth): indigenous peoples — the Fur, Masalit, Zaghawa, Daju, Tama, Bideyat, Midob, Fulbe and Hausa; The Beja on the Red Sea Coast (famed as the ‘Fuzzie Wuzzies'); The Nubians of the Nile valley (ancient people with great kingdoms who were Christian for 1,000 years. Relentless Muslim pressure led to their Islamization 600 years ago); The nomadic and semi-nomadic Baggara tribes (speaking 3 to 4 major Arabic dialects, but many are of non-Arab origin).
  51. SWIZALAND
    The Youth and the Muslim communities.
  52. TANZANIA
    The coast, Zanzibar and many of the peoples in the southern provinces are largely or almost entirely Muslim. Zanzibar (almost entirely Muslim and on the two main islands , Zanzibar and Pemba): Zanzibar Town, the east coast and the small Tumbatu Island; The Muslim peoples of the coastal regions: Tanga (Digo, Dhaiso and Somali); Pwani/Dar-es-Salaam (Zigula, Kami, Rufiji, Ngendereko); Lindi (Machinga, Ndonde, Ngindo); The Inland peoples (the largely animist Datooga and Barabaig; the Muslim Rangi and Chasi); The peoples on the Mozambique border: the Islamized Makonde and Yao; The South Asian community speaking a range of Indian languages (mostly Hindu or Muslim).
  53. TOGO
    The eight majority-Muslim peoples — the Kotokoli, Anufo, Akaselem, Bago, Akpe, Anii, Hausa and Fulbe; The northern traditional peoples: the Nawdm, Konkomba, Taberma, Sola, Lokpa, Mossi, Bisa. The south-central traditional peoples: the Akebu, Anyanga, Adele, Delo and Kpessi. The southern coastal area (poorly researched): The Fon, Mahi, etc.
  54. TUNISIA
    The disillusioned young people; The southern part of the country (a spiritual desert); Sfax; The Berber communities (especially the island of Djerba and also two Jewish settlements); Kairouan (seen by some as the fourth most holy city in Islam — many go there for pilgrimages, healing and help).
  55. UGANDA
    Muslims (who are a minority in many peoples): The Kakwa, Madi in the north-west and Soga in the south-west. The northeast peoples (the Karamojong, Pokot and Jie),
  56. WESTERN SAHARA
    Arab-Berber Moroccan ‘settlers'; Saharawi indigenous; refugees in 4 main camps near Tindouf , Algeria ; Moroccan military personnel.
  57. ZAMBIA
    The peoples in the southwest (the Subiya, the 4 Khoisan groups, etc); The urban satellite towns of Lusaka (the Copperbelt and Kabwe); the Indian Gujarati (Hindu and Muslim); Muslims.
  58. ZIMBABWE
    The rural areas; The burgeoning cities (especially unemployed citizens); The northwest dwellers (the Tonga, Nambya and Dombe of the Hwange-Kariba); The northeast dwellers (the Kunda); The east dwellers (the Ndau); Muslims: Yao from Malawi, Gujarati in the main towns, indigenous Shona-speaking Remba.

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