Birthplace of Christianity
It was in the Middle East that Jesus lived, the apostles preached and the first Christian churches in history emerged.
Region
Middle East
16
Countries
259
Peoples
222
Unreached
0.5%
Evangelicals (weighted)
Peoples overview
16Countries
259people groups
222unreached
0.5%evangelicals (weighted average)
- 215 Unreached 83%
- 7 Minimally reached 2.7%
- 23 Superficially reached 8.9%
- 12 Partially reached 4.6%
- 2 Significantly reached 0.8%
Compiled from the data of each country in this region.
515Language
266With complete Bible
249Without complete Bible
Compiled from the data of each country in this region.
What it is
Overview
The Middle East is the land where the Christian faith was born. It was there that Jesus walked, died and rose again, that the apostles first preached and that the first churches formed. Today the region comprises sixteen countries stretching from the Levant, Cyprus, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, to the Arabian Peninsula, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as well as Turkey, Iraq and Iran.
It is a region marked by wars, mass displacement and territorial disputes lasting generations. At the same time, it holds the most important places in biblical history: Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Damascus and ancient Babylon. Christian communities that have existed for almost two thousand years remain there, but many have shrunk drastically through emigration and persecution.
Islam is the predominant religion across almost the entire territory, and conversion to Christianity is often treated as betrayal of family and nation, rather than simply a personal choice of faith. Of the 259 ethnic groups living in the Middle East, 222 are still considered unreached with the gospel, and only 0.5% of the population identifies as evangelical.
Praying for the Middle East means praying for the land where it all began and which today most needs to hear the message of Jesus again.
Context and characteristics
Longstanding conflicts
Wars and territorial disputes span generations and continue to displace millions of families in the region.
Islam as national identity
In most countries, being Muslim is tied to family and national identity, making conversion a serious social risk.
Ancient Christian communities in decline
Churches with almost two thousand years of history lose members every year through emigration and persecution.
Two distinct subregions
The Levant, more closely connected to biblical history, and the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam, form very different spiritual realities within the Middle East.
Countries in this region
Cyprus
Palestine
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
Kuwait
Qatar
Israel
Jordan
Oman
Türkiye
Yemen
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Lebanon
Syria
Iran
Unreached peoples of this region 158 in total
Mission indicators
222
Unreached peoples
Combined from the countries in the region
249
Languages with no Bible translation at all
Combined from the countries in the region
What to pray for
Intercession
Pray for the Middle East's 222 unreached ethnic groups, most still without contact with the gospel.
Ask for lasting peace in a region marked by wars and disputes that have lasted generations.
Pray for the ancient Christian communities of the Levant, that they may withstand emigration and persecution.
Ask for courage for Christians living in hiding in countries where conversion is treated as betrayal.
Pray for the Arabian Peninsula, where only 0.5% of the population identifies as evangelical.
Ask that refugees and those displaced by war may find hope and a welcome amid their pain.
Pray that the land where the gospel was born may once again hear the message of Jesus proclaimed with power.