Unreached People Groups
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14 NIV
The phrase “of all nations’ is found throughout Scripture, but what does it actually mean? When Scripture speaks of nations, is it referring to the modern day nations-states that appear on our geo-political maps of the world? The New Testament Greek phrase is “panta ta ethne”. The word ethne is very similar to our English word ethnic. So, another way to say this is that the gospel will be preached to all the ethnic peoples or people groups of the world. Ultimately, we see this Biblical reality fulfilled in Revelation 7:9-10. As we take a look at the current status of this task we see that all people are equally lost without Jesus, but all people do not have equal access to the message of saving faith through Jesus.
What is a people group (PG)?
A people group is the largest group through which the Gospel can flow without encountering significant barriers of understanding and acceptance.
There are approximately 11,690 people groups worldwide.
(Source: This information was provided by The International Mission Board - Global Research, www.peoplegroups.org.)
What is an unreached people group (UPG)?
An unreached people group (UPG) is a people group in which less than 2% of the population is Evangelical Christians. Globally there are approximately 6,400 UPGs.
(Source: This information was provided by The International Mission Board - Global Research, www.peoplegroups.org.)
What is an unreached, unengaged people group (UUPG)?
Unengaged unreached people groups have no coordinated evangelical Christian missionary presence among them. Unengaged unreached people groups have never heard the Gospel, or they may have been exposed to the Gospel in the past, but have been forgotten.
There are approximately 5,845 UUPG’s worldwide:
| Affinity Group | People Groups | People Group Population (in millions) | UPGs | UPG Population (in millions) | UPG Population as % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Peoples | 1,390 | 812.3 | 518 | 41.2 | 5.1% |
| European Peoples | 976 | 783.6 | 703 | 611.7 | 78.1% |
| North African Middle Eastern Peoples | 753 | 483.3 | 648 | 476.4 | 98.6% |
| Sub-Saharan African Peoples | 2,743 | 642.3 | 1,635 | 342.7 | 53.4% |
| Central Asian Peoples | 448 | 385.9 | 393 | 385.1 | 99.8% |
| South Asian Peoples | 1,499 | 1,550.6 | 1,208 | 1,318.4 | 85% |
| East Asian Peoples | 854 | 1,642.8 | 544 | 309.9 | 18.9% |
| Southeastern Asian Peoples | 2,819 | 549.1 | 743 | 431 | 79% |
How can I get involved?
More Information
For more information about Unreached People Groups, check out the following resources:
