+2
+3
People cluster
Jat
Unreached
< 0.1%
Evangelicals
Who they are
The Jats are one of the largest peoples of South Asia, with more than 90 million people. Their homeland is the great plain of Punjab, a region of rivers and fertile fields divided between Pakistan and India, and neighboring areas such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Sindh. For centuries they have been known as landowning farmers, people proud of their family, their village and their work in the field. Many have also served in the armies of both countries.
They speak mainly Punjabi, the language of Punjab, as well as Urdu, Hindi and other regional varieties. Life revolves around the extended family and the clan, that is, the group of families descended from one ancestor and bearing the same surname, such as Sidhu, Gill or Bajwa. Through migration, Jat communities have grown in Canada, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
What stands out most is their divided faith: the Jats are Muslim, Hindu or Sikh, depending on the history of each region. Despite this size, almost no Jat follows Jesus, and the churches that exist in Punjab rarely reach this people.
What sets the subgroups apart
The Jats were deliberately brought together into one group because they are the same people, yet they live three different religions. The largest part, more than 30 million, is Muslim and lives in Pakistan, mostly in Pakistani Punjab. Hindu Jats live mainly in northern India, in states such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Sikh Jats live in Indian Punjab and follow Sikhism, a religion born there in the fifteenth century, which believes in one God and follows the teachings of ten teachers called gurus. It is the Sikhs who make up most of the Jat communities in Canada and the United States.
The same clan often appears in all three religions. A Sidhu or a Gill may be Muslim in Lahore, Hindu in Haryana and Sikh in Indian Punjab. So surname and land unite the Jats, while faith, festivals and the border between India and Pakistan divide them.
Where they are still unreached
6
Countries
91.2M
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Pakistan
|
56.9%
|
51.851.900 |
India
|
42%
|
38.275.200 |
United States
|
0.7%
|
619.000 |
Canada
|
0.3%
|
251.000 |
Saudi Arabia
|
0.2%
|
193.000 |
Bangladesh
|
0%
|
3.200 |
The 206 peoples in this cluster
+2
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
May the Muslim Jats of Pakistan come to know Jesus as the one who forgives and gives true peace.
For the Hindu Jats of northern India, that they may find in Christ the God who draws near to people.
For the Sikh Jats, who already believe in one God, that they may know Jesus as the way to the Father.
For Jats living in Canada, the United States and Saudi Arabia, that they may find friendly, welcoming Christians.
May the churches of Punjab, in India and Pakistan, have courage and love to reach their Jat neighbors.
May Jat families and clans, so close-knit, be blessed and find the way of Christ together.