Unreached peoples of Malawi
An overview of the country's people groups, focusing on those who still have little or no access to the gospel in their own language and culture.
Malawi is home to 24 people groups. Five of them, nearly a fifth of the total, are still considered unreached: the Muslim Yao, by far the largest group, with more than 2.6 million people concentrated in the south of the country, along with small Indian communities (Gujaratis and Kachchis), Swahili speakers, and the deaf community. The vast majority of the population, however, already has established churches and access to the Bible in their own language, the fruit of more than a century of Christian history in the country.
- 13.1% Unreached (2.9M)
- 0% Minimally reached (0)
- 0% Superficially reached (4K)
- 13.7% Partially reached (3M)
- 73.2% Significantly reached (16.1M)
- 20.8% Unreached (5)
- 0% Minimally reached (0)
- 4.2% Superficially reached (1)
- 37.5% Partially reached (9)
- 37.5% Significantly reached (9)
Source of people group data: Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net). Estimates, may vary.
Source: Joshua Project. Estimates, may vary.
| People | Population | Language | Evang. | Chr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarati Frontier | 2.9M | Gujarati | 0.3% | 1.4% |
| Muslim Yao | 3.9M | Yao | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| Swahili Frontier | 1.2M | Swahili | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Kacchi | 120K | Kacchi | 0.1% | 1% |
| Greek | 10M | Greek | 0.3% | 94.4% |
| Deaf Frontier | 27.5M | Pakistan Sign Language | 1.8% | 3.7% |
| Portuguese | 17.8M | Portuguese | 2.9% | 94.6% |
| Nyiha of Malawi | 15K | Nyiha (Malawi) | 4% | 60% |
| Nyika | 19K | Nyika | 4% | 75% |
| Ngoni of Malawi | 2.3M | Chichewa | 5% | 64% |
| Kokola | 565K | Kokola | 7% | 60% |
| British | 55M | English | 8.9% | 60.4% |
| Lambya | 243K | Lambya | 11.2% | 85.7% |
| Senga | 219K | Tumbuka | 12% | 75% |
| Malawian Sena | 734K | Sena (Malawi) | 12% | 58% |
| Ndali | 628K | Ndali | 12.6% | 56.9% |
| Lomwe Nguru | 1.2M | Malawi Lomwe | 14% | 85% |
| Tumbuka | 3.9M | Tumbuka | 14.9% | 95.3% |
| Tonga | 425K | Tonga (Malawi) | 15% | 97% |
| Nyakyusa | 2M | Nyakyusa-Ngonde | 18.3% | 91.1% |
| Nyanja | 15.2M | Chichewa | 26.5% | 88.1% |
| Rwandan Hutu | 14.3M | Kinyarwanda | 27.2% | 90.2% |
| Zulu | 15.7M | Zulu | 28.1% | 80.9% |
| Shona | 1.5M | Shona | 31.1% | 80.4% |
Intercede for Malawi and its peoples
Every unreached people group is an entire culture still without full access to the gospel. Join in prayer with Christians around the world.
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