+3
People cluster
Baloch
Unreached
0%
Evangelicals
Who they are
The Baloch are a Muslim people of more than 17 million. Their traditional homeland, Balochistan, is a dry and mountainous region now divided among Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Many also live in southern Pakistan, in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, and there are old and large communities in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and other countries of the Persian Gulf.
Their language is Balochi, a distant relative of the Persian spoken in Iran. The people are organized into large extended families, the tribes, each with its own chief, and loyalty to the tribe weighs heavily in each person’s life. For centuries they were herders of goats, sheep and camels and small farmers. Today many live in cities such as Quetta and Karachi or work in the Gulf.
Almost all follow Sunni Islam, which is the most common branch of Islam. A minority, the Zikris, follow a line of their own, practiced mainly on the coast of Pakistan. Balochistan is one of the poorest areas of Pakistan and Iran, marked by conflict, and the Baloch who follow Jesus are very few.
What sets the subgroups apart
Most of the subgroups are tribes of Pakistan, such as the Rind, the Bugti and the Mari. One important difference is in language. In the mountains of Balochistan, Balochi remains the language of the home. But many tribes that moved centuries ago to Punjab and Sindh now speak the local languages, such as Saraiki and Sindhi, live from farming and hardly speak Balochi anymore, although they keep the pride of being Baloch.
In Iran, the Baloch are Sunni Muslims in a Shia-majority country, Shia being the other great branch of Islam, and they live mainly in the southeast, near the border with Pakistan. There are also small groups of their own there, such as the Koroshi and the Bashkardi. In the Gulf, many Baloch descend from families who arrived generations ago and served as soldiers and workers, while others are recent migrants.
Where they are still unreached
11
Countries
17.3M
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Pakistan
|
81.2%
|
14.003.000 |
Iran
|
8.9%
|
1.532.700 |
Oman
|
3.7%
|
645.000 |
United Arab Emirates
|
2.6%
|
453.000 |
Afghanistan
|
2.3%
|
398.000 |
Turkmenistan
|
0.4%
|
63.000 |
Qatar
|
0.4%
|
61.000 |
India
|
0.3%
|
60.000 |
Saudi Arabia
|
0.1%
|
16.000 |
Somalia
|
0.1%
|
12.000 |
Tajikistan
|
0%
|
7.300 |
The 57 peoples in this cluster
+3
+1
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
May the Baloch know Jesus as the God who cares for the poor and for those who suffer.
For peace in Balochistan, that violence and conflict would give way to justice and security.
May the Bible and other resources in Balochi reach families, in text, audio and video.
For the tribal chiefs, that they would use their authority with justice and open the doors to the gospel.
For the Baloch who work in the Gulf, that they would find Christians who treat them with friendship and respect.
For the few followers of Jesus among the Baloch, that they would be strengthened and not be alone.