No Known Workers.
No Known Active Church.
Some people groups have no known sustained effort to share Christ and plant self-sustaining churches among them. This is our best current picture of where the gospel gap is the deepest.
What Is an Unengaged Unreached People Group?
Not every unreached people group is unengaged. Many have missionaries working among them, churches being planted, and gospel movements forming. Unengaged groups are different.
People Group Categories
Many unreached people groups have witnesses among them. Churches are being planted. Movements are forming. Those groups are unreached, but they are engaged.
Unengaged groups have none of that. No sustained presence. No known workers. No reported effort to plant churches. The gap is not in the response. The gap is in the activity itself.
An unengaged people group is one where there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.
A group becomes engaged when:
- There is sustained activity to share Christ and make disciples.
- There are efforts to establish self-sustaining churches.
- The work occurs in culturally appropriate and locally relevant ways.
Frontier vs. Unengaged: Two Different Gaps
These two categories measure fundamentally different things. Understanding the distinction helps the church know how to pray, strategize, and deploy resources.
Frontier People Groups
A Gap in Response
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
A Gap in Activity
The Numbers That Reveal the Gap
The scope of unengaged lostness reveals both the magnitude of the need and the specificity of the opportunity.
Of UUPGs Are in South and Central Asia
The geographic concentration of unengaged groups is striking. The overwhelming majority exist within the 10/40 Window, where access is difficult and pioneer work is rare.
- Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India account for a disproportionate share of unengaged groups.
- Many are in restricted-access nations where open missionary work is illegal or dangerous.
Are Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist
The religious profile of unengaged groups is concentrated in three major world religions. Each presents distinct barriers and requires specialized pioneer strategies.
- Islam accounts for the largest share, particularly across Central and South Asia.
- Hindu and Buddhist-majority UUPGs are concentrated in South and Southeast Asia.
- Each context demands culturally specific approaches to witness.
Known Self-Sustaining Churches
In every group on this list, the definition holds: no known effort to establish churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. Pioneer work here means starting from nothing.
- No local believers to partner with in most cases.
- No established cultural bridges or translated Scripture in many groups.
- Every gospel worker among these peoples is a pioneer.
A Gap in Knowledge, Not Just Activity
Our data is only as complete as what is known and reported to us. When a people group appears here, we are highlighting these three important qualifications.
Known to Connected Networks
No sustained engagement has been reported through networks connected to Joshua Project. Unreported or covert work in restricted-access contexts may exist.
A Starting Point, Not a Verdict
Use this list as a research and mobilization tool. It is not a definitive claim about any single group. Indigenous movements may exist that have not been reported.
A Living List
As reports come in, groups are removed. Our goal is a continuously updated list. We ask the global missions community to help us make this list shorter.
Explore Unengaged Unreached People Groups
Search, filter, and browse the full list. Find groups by country, religion, region, or population.
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
2,481 groups listed| Zamral (Hindu traditions) | India | Hinduism | 7,000 | 0-0.1% | View → |
| Zarekari | India | Islam | 1,300 | 0-0.1% | View → |
| Zargar (Hindu traditions) | India | Hinduism | 22,000 | 0-0.1% | View → |
| Zargar (Sikh traditions) | India | Sikhism | 2,500 | 0-0.1% | View → |
| Zirenkel | Chad | Islam | 8,300 | 0-0.1% | View → |
| Zoe | Brazil | Ethnic Religions | 200 | 0-0.1% | View → |
Working Among a Group on This List?
Being listed here does not mean a group has no gospel witness. It means no engagement has been reported through networks connected to Joshua Project. If you or your organization are actively working among a group appearing here, your data matters. A five-minute report updates the data for every researcher, mobilizer, and agency connected to Joshua Project.
Report Engagement for a People Group"These are not statistics. They are peoples. Start with one group, one name, one prayer. Ask God to send workers to those who have never heard."Joshua Project - Unengaged Unreached People Groups
Your Role in Unengaged Engagement
Browse the Full ListPray by Name
Start with one group, one name, one prayer. Ask God to send workers to those who have never heard.
Start PrayingExplore the Data
Search, filter, and browse the full list. Find groups by country, religion, region, or population.
Browse the ListGo to the Unengaged
Pioneer work means going where there are no churches to join and no believers to partner with. If God is calling you there, we want to help you find the way.
Learn How to GoReport What You Know
Working among a group on this list? Tell us. Your activity on the ground makes this list more accurate for everyone.
Submit a Report
