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Region · Oceania
Melanesia
Islands with hundreds of languages, many still without the Bible, where Christian faith is strong but still coexists with fear of spirits and witchcraft.
5 countries
1.118 peoples
53.3% evangelicals
The 5 flags of the region. Tap one to open the country.
Gospel reach among the 1.118 peoples
19Unreached · 1.7% of peoples
1.099reached peoples
53.3%evangelicals (weighted average)
- 0.2% Unreached (2)
- 1.5% Minimally reached (17)
- 0.8% Superficially reached (9)
- 9.9% Partially reached (111)
- 87.6% Significantly reached (979)
Largest unreached peoples:
Deaf 33K
Bhojpuri-speaking Biharis 28K
Gujarati 25K
The Bible in the languages of the region
1.066languages spoken
74With complete Bible
992Without complete Bible
142With no translation at all
- 6.9% With complete Bible (74)
- 79.7% Only portions of the Bible (850)
- 13.3% With no translation at all (142)
Source: Joshua Project and Progress.Bible. Estimates, may vary. Compiled from the data of each country in this region.
What it is
Melanesia comprises Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia, a group of mountainous islands and dense forests in the South Pacific. It is by far Oceania’s most ethnically diverse subregion: Papua New Guinea alone is renowned for having hundreds of different languages within a relatively small territory.
With 1,118 ethnic groups, Melanesia holds the greatest cultural wealth in the entire Pacific. Yet only 19 of these peoples are still considered unreached, a comparatively low number given the overall scale, the fruit of decades of translation and evangelization work in isolated communities.
Average evangelization reaches 24.2%, the highest among Oceania’s subregions. Yet the Bible translation challenge remains enormous: of the 1,066 mapped ethnic groups, 992 still do not have the complete Bible in their own language, a direct reflection of the region’s linguistic fragmentation.
Praying for Melanesia means praying for an immense translation effort, language by language, village by village, so that every people may have access to the Word of God in their own tongue.
Context and characteristics
Greatest linguistic diversity
Papua New Guinea alone has hundreds of languages, making Melanesia the most culturally fragmented subregion.
Isolating geography
Mountains, forests and scattered islands still keep many communities isolated from one another.
Highest evangelization in the Pacific
With 24.2% evangelicals, it is the subregion with the proportionally strongest Christian presence in Oceania.
Translation challenge on a vast scale
Almost all mapped ethnic groups are still waiting for the complete Bible in their own language.
Unreached peoples of this region 19 in total
What to pray for
Intercession
Pray for the 19 peoples still unreached amid Melanesia's immense diversity.
Ask for progress in translation work for the 992 ethnic groups without a complete Bible.
Pray for translators and linguists willing to live in isolated communities for years.
Pray that the Christian faith already present in the region may deepen and bear fruit in discipleship.
Ask for protection and health for missionary families in remote areas that are difficult to reach.
Pray for unity among local churches with such different languages and cultures.