Unengaged Unreached People Groups

No Known Workers.
No Known Active Church.

No missionary presence. No church planting effort.

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.

2,481
Unengaged UPGs
369.99 Million
People
73
Countries
<0.1%
Avg. Evangelical
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Definition

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

All People Groups 10,423 groups Unreached People Groups 4,487 groups Frontier People Groups 3,216 groups UUPGs 2,481
All People Groups (10,423)
Unreached People Groups (4,487)
Frontier People Groups (3,216)
Unengaged Unreached (UUPGs) (2,481)

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.

Agreed Definition

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.
Distinction

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.

Measures: Gospel Progress

Frontier People Groups

A Gap in Response

Defined byWhat has happened among the people. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 are Christian. No sustained church movement has taken root.
The realityWorkers may be present. Churches may be actively planted. The gospel has gone in. The people have not yet responded in transformative, self-sustaining ways.
The gapNot in activity. In the response so far.
Learn about Frontier People Groups
Measures: Mission Activity

Unengaged Unreached People Groups

A Gap in Activity

Defined byWhat we are doing, or more precisely, what we are not doing. No sustained effort is known to share Christ or establish churches among them.
The realityThere can be no response where there has been no witness. The gap is not about fruitfulness yet. It is about presence.
The gapNo one has gone.
Key Distinction Frontier Low Response · Unengaged No Presence A group can be Frontier and Engaged. A group can be Frontier and Unengaged. Both need the gospel. The type of work needed is different.
The Scope

The Numbers That Reveal the Gap

The scope of unengaged lostness reveals both the magnitude of the need and the specificity of the opportunity.

Elderly man from an unengaged people group context
77%

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.
Muslim community context for unengaged people groups
88%

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.
Church-related pioneer mission context
0

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.
Adopt an Unengaged Group
About This List

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.

Data Explorer

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
Filter:
Bahna (Hindu traditions) India Hinduism 844,000 Unknown View →
Bahna (Hindu traditions) Nepal Hinduism 16,000 0-0.1% View →
Bahna (Muslim traditions) Pakistan Islam 201,000 0-0.1% View →
Baidya Bangladesh Islam 1,100 0-0.1% View →
Bairagi (Muslim traditions) India Islam 18,000 0-0.1% View →
Bajania India Hinduism 30,000 0-0.1% View →
Bajgar India Hinduism 1,700 0-0.1% View →
Bajikar (Muslim traditions) India Islam 2,200 0-0.1% View →
Bakad India Hinduism 6,100 0-0.1% View →
Bakati India Hinduism 2,600 0-0.1% View →
Bakuda India Hinduism 13,000 0-0.1% View →
Balagai India Hinduism 8,600 0-0.1% View →
Balahar (Muslim traditions) India Islam 2,000 0-0.1% View →
Balasantoshi India Hinduism 29,000 0-0.1% View →
Balija Bogam India Hinduism 77,000 0-0.1% View →
Balija Bolla India Hinduism 75,000 Unknown View →
Balija Gopanthi India Hinduism 8,000 0-0.1% View →
Balija Jakkula India Hinduism 40,000 0-0.1% View →
Balija Musugu India Hinduism 23,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch India Islam 58,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch Bugti Pakistan Islam 178,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch Buzdar Pakistan Islam 52,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch Chandia Pakistan Islam 158,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch Dashti Pakistan Islam 64,000 0-0.1% View →
Baloch Dombki Pakistan Islam 131,000 0-0.1% View →
Showing 101-125 of 2,481 groups

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 List
01

Pray by Name

Start with one group, one name, one prayer. Ask God to send workers to those who have never heard.

Start Praying
02

Explore the Data

Search, filter, and browse the full list. Find groups by country, religion, region, or population.

Browse the List
03

Go 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 Go
04

Report 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