Interesting Facts

Key observations from people group data
The median population of all people groups for which Joshua Project has population values is 15,792. The mean population is 468,601.
2,100 people groups reside in more than one country, summing to 6,580,000,000 individuals.
275 of the 608 people groups in China do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language.
East and Southern Africa is the least urbanized (31%) region of the world. (World Factbook 2011)
The largest Muslim people group is the Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh, population 136,000,000.
All but two groups of Sri Lanka's 139 people groups have at least Bible portions available in its primary language.
1,800 people groups in the world do not have Scripture portions or audio recordings available in their primary language, comprising 115,000,000 individuals.
Pakistan has the largest number of groups whose primary religion is Islam (654), followed by India with 338 and Indonesia with 252.
The largest Least-Reached group in Southeast Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Deaf of Indonesia, with 814,000 people.
Pakistan has the largest number of groups whose primary religion is Islam (656), followed by India with 345 and Indonesia with 254.
397 people groups in Central Asia are least-reached, totaling 300,000,000 individuals.
The largest Hindu group is the Yadav of India, population 52,000,000.
Northeast Asia has the highest number of individuals practicing Animism (68,500,000), followed by East and Southern Africa (47,000,000). (Operation World 2010)
The Mandarin Chinese have a combined population of over 931,000,000 (all countries of residence).
South Asia has the most Frontier people groups (2,955), followed by Central Asia (294). Australia and Pacific has the fewest at 22.
210 of the 547 people groups in China do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language.
People groups in India speak an average of 11 languages. People groups are multi-lingual, and individuals usually are multi-lingual.
Papua New Guinea has the most people groups (402) whose primary language does not have Bible portions, totaling 13,598,000 individuals.
Papua New Guinea has the largest number of groups whose primary religion is Christianity (801), followed by Indonesia with 375.
All but two groups of Sri Lanka's 149 people groups have at least Bible portions available in its primary language.
The largest group without even Scripture portions in their primary language is the Jin Chinese of China, population 47,000,000.
There are 1142 Muslim majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
Of the 6,317 groups whose populations are under 10,000, the total number of individuals is less than 23,000,000.
Russia has 69 Muslim people groups, the largest of which is the Tatars, with 4,698,000 people.
There are 1154 Muslim majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
India has 2,032 least-reached groups, followed by Pakistan (767), and China (442).
2,338 people groups totaling 1,070,000,000 individuals have neither Scripture, the Jesus film, or Christian recordings available in their primary language.
11,499 people groups have the Jesus Film in their primary language, totaling 7,552,000,000 individuals.
The largest Least-Reached group in Central Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Aimaq of Afghanistan, with 1,777,000 people.
If the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be the 6th most populous in the world.
Of the 7,360 groups whose populations are under 10,000, the total number of individuals is less than 24,000,000.
The world's population will be 68% urban by the year 2050 (United Nations).
1,717 people groups in the 10/40 Window have neither Scripture portions or the Jesus film available in their primary language, comprising 195,000,000 individuals.
1,998,000,000 individuals live in people groups (4,767) with very few, if any, believers. These form the Frontier category.
The four largest Least-Reached people groups are the Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh, Japanese of Japan, the Shaikh of India, and the Turks of Turkey.
The largest people cluster is the Chinese (1,354,000,000), followed by the Hispanic (370,000,000).
There are 1,286 Christian majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
30 of the 81 people groups in Afghanistan do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language.
France has 36 Muslim people groups, the largest of which is the Kabyle Berbers, with 729,000 people.
India has 2,041 least-reached groups, followed by Pakistan (786), and China (441).
If the India state of Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be the 5th most populous in the world. (Operation World 2010).
South Asia has nearly five times as many unreached people groups (3,349) as any other region of the world.
Of Iran's 91 people groups, all but 6 are least-reached, and all of these 6 are expatriate groups.
The largest people cluster is the Chinese (1,361,000,000), followed by the Hispanic (367,000,000).
10,878 people groups have the Jesus Film in their primary language, totaling 7,772,000,000 individuals.
China has the largest number of individuals whose primary language does not have Bible portions (42,844,000 individuals).
Four districts in India exceed 10,000,000 population, more than many countries of the world.
Seven countries have more than 500 people groups, with India exceeding 2270.
418 of Indonesia's 786 people groups do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language. The largest of these is the Deaf, 2,066,000.
The Nai of India have 93 alternate names, and the Kalal have 86 alternate names.
2,071 people groups reside in more than one country, summing to 6,666,000,000 individuals.
There are 134 Buddhist majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
There are 777 Hindu majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
There are 90 people groups in Australia within the Australian Aboriginal people cluster, and there are 134 groups in South America within the Amazon people cluster.
1,843 people groups in the world do not have Scripture portions or audio recordings available in their primary language, comprising 68,000,000 individuals.
2,846 people groups in South Asia are Frontier, totaling to 1,381,000,000 individuals.
11% of the world's population (860m individuals) resides in 31 large Frontier people groups. Frontier groups are those with no more than one Christian per 1,000 individuals, and require pioneering missionary work.
21 of the 58 people groups in Afghanistan do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language.
Iran is the country with the fastest growing Evangelical population at 19.6% annual growth. (Operation World 2010).
Papua New Guinea has the largest number of groups whose primary religion is Christianity (803), followed by the United States with 377.
Of Nigeria's 535 people groups, 71 do not have Bible portions, the Jesus film, or gospel recordings available in their primary language, or 1,060,000 individuals.
North America and the Caribbean have the most Evangelicals (100,500,000), followed by East and Southern Africa (100,100,000). (Operation World 2010)
Only 73 people groups comprise 50% of the world's population.
There are 135 Buddhist majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
Hindi is spoken as the primary language by 682 people groups, with English spoken by 424 and Bengali spoken by 366.
The 28th Edition of the Ethnologue indicates there are 7,159 living languages in the world, with roughly 44% in danger of not surviving long term. 23 languages account for more than half the world's population.
There are 803 Hindu majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
Of Nigeria's 542 people groups, 94 do not have Bible portions, the Jesus film, or gospel recordings available in their primary language, or 1,860,000 individuals.
The top 10 countries with the largest Christian populations include all of the "BRIC" countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). (Operation World 2010)
Russia has 69 Muslim people groups, the largest of which is the Tatars, with 4,699,000 people.
10% of the world's population (826m individuals) resides in 31 large Frontier people groups. Frontier groups are those with no more than one Christian per 1,000 individuals, and require pioneering missionary work.
The Gond people of India speak 127 languages, and the Oraon speak 111.
South Asia has more than five times as many unreached people groups (3,452) as any other region of the world.
Central Asia has only 1,825,000 evangelicals, followed by North Africa and Middle East (6,050,000) and Eastern Europe and Eurasia (6,096,000).
There are five Least-Reached people groups each over 50,000,000 in population, the largest being the Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh (135,000,000).
386 of Indonesia's 788 people groups do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language. The largest of these is the Deaf, population 814,000.
2,034 people groups in the 10/40 Window have neither Scripture portions or the Jesus film available in their primary language, comprising 209,000,000 individuals.
One fourth of the world's population resides in Frontier people groups, those groups with no more than one Christian per 1,000 individuals. These groups require pioneering missionary effort.
France has 32 Muslim people groups, the largest of which is the Kabyle Berbers, with 710,000 people.
70% of all Unreached people groups are Frontier groups, those most severely unreached.
2,059,000,000 individuals live in people groups (4,833) with very few, if any, believers. These are in the Frontier category.
Census data indicates there are some 24,000,000 Sikhs and 6,098,000 Jains in India.
Evangelicals are growing at an annual rate of 2.6%, compared to Islam at 1.9% and Hinduism at 1.2% (Operation World 2010)
The global annual growth rate of Christianity in general is 1.2%, but the growth rate of Evangelicals is 2.6% (Operation World 2010)
The largest Least-Reached group in Northeast Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Western Ghao-Xong of China, with 1,395,000 people.
Of Iran's 94 people groups, all but 10 are least-reached, and all of these 10 are expatriate groups.
The United States has the largest population of groups whose primary religion is Christianity (316,000,000), followed by Brazil (216,000,000).
352 people groups in Central Asia are least-reached, totaling 309,000,000 individuals.
The largest Hindu group is the Chamar of India, population 52,000,000.
Over 30% (2.5 billion individuals) of the earth's population reside in only 250 Least-Reached people groups.
11,391 people groups have at least the New Testament available in their primary language, totaling 7,576,000,000 individuals.
There are 1,321 Christian majority people groups over 100,000 in size.
561 languages have no scripture and no translation work underway. An additional 2,750 languages have inadequate scripture. (Progress Bible 2025)
South Asia has only 1,312,000 evangelicals, followed by Central Asia (1,662,000) and North Africa and the Middle East (3,848,000).
The median population of all people groups for which Joshua Project has population values is 19,714. The mean population is 499,467.
2,952 people groups in South Asia are Frontier, totaling 1,467,000,000 individuals.
Hindi is spoken as the primary language by 700 people groups, with English spoken by 537 and Bengali spoken by 379.
The Muslim Shaikh have a combined population of over 95,000,000 (Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal).
The United States, China, Brazil and Nigeria have the greatest number of evangelicals according to Operation World 2010. Kenya has the highest percent evangelicals at 48.9%.
3/4 of the 24,000,000 Sikhs in India live in the state of Punjab. Nearly 3/4 of the 8,905,000 Buddhists in India live in the state of Maharashtra.
The largest Least-Reached group in Southeast Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Minangkabau of Malaysia, with 1,010,000 people.
China has the largest number of individuals whose primary language does not have Bible portions (90,101,000 individuals).
There are three Frontier people groups each over 50,000,000 in population, the largest being the Shaikh of India (101,000,000).
The Mandarin Chinese have a combined population of over 925,000,000 (all countries of residence).
The largest Least-Reached group in Northeast Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Zuojiang Zhuang of China, with 1,704,000 people.
The 27th Edition of the Ethnologue indicates there are 7,164 living languages in the world, with roughly 44% in danger of not surviving long term. 23 languages account for more than half the world's population.
South Asia has the most people groups (3,707), followed by West and Central Africa (2,175), and Central Asia has the least (460).
The Mumbai district of Maharashtra state in India has over 10,000,000 residents, more than many countries of the world.
The largest group without even Scripture portions in their primary language is the Northern Yemini Arabs of Yemen, population 20,000,000.
2,330 people groups totaling 1,261,000,000 individuals have neither Scripture, the Jesus film, or Christian recordings available in their primary language.
Of India's 2,262 people groups, 1,635 have populations over 10,000, the largest being a Muslim group, the Shaikh at 100,866,000
11,935 people groups have at least the New Testament available in their primary language, totaling 7,362,000,000 individuals.
Nigeria has 271 people groups (7,722,000 individuals) whose primary language does not have Bible portions available.
The Muslim Shaikh have a combined population of over 137,000,000 (Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal).
South Asia has the most people groups (3,806), followed by West and Central Africa (2,221), and Central Asia has the least (564).
The largest Least-Reached group in the Middle East / North Africa region without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings are the Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen, with 19,689,000 people.
The largest Least-Reached group in Central Asia without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings is the Aimaq of Afghanistan, with 1,796,000 people.
The unreached Parsee, found in 10 countries with over 160,000 in total, practice Zoroastrianism.
10 of Sudan's 198 people groups have Christianity as their primary religion, and 174 have Islam as their primary religion.
South Asia has the most Frontier people groups (2,846), followed by Southeast Asia (315). Australia and Pacific has the fewest at 24.
Indonesia has the most people groups (418) whose primary language does not have Bible portions, totaling 11,015,000 individuals.
There are 1,369 primarily Christian groups in the 10/40 Window, the largest being the Yoruba of Nigeria (39,122,000).
It has been estimated there are 460,000 villages (out of a total of 650,000 villages) in India with no known Christian presence.
11 of Sudan's 200 people groups have Christianity as their primary religion, and 176 have Islam as their primary religion.
The largest Least-Reached group in the Middle East / North Africa without Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings are the Shabak of Iraq, with 289,000 people.
More than 1960 church planting movements have been reported in the world at present, 2022.
Some 62% of the world's population live in religiously restrictive countries. 2023 World Religious Freedom Report
Nigeria has 207 people groups (5,900,000 individuals) whose primary language does not have Bible portions available.
Census data indicates there are some 24,000,000 Sikhs and 6,174,000 Jains in India.
3/4 of the 24,000,000 Sikhs in India live in the state of Punjab. Nearly 3/4 of the 8,941,000 Buddhists in India live in the state of Maharashtra.
The largest Muslim people group is the Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh, population 135,000,000.
Indonesia has the greatest population of Muslim majority groups (250,000,000), followed by Pakistan (246,000,000) and India (210,000,000).
The unreached Parsee, found in 9 countries with over 165,000 in total, practice Zoroastrianism.
Of India's 2,272 people groups, 1,663 have populations over 10,000, the largest being a Muslim group, the Shaikh at 81,439,000
Indonesia has the greatest population of Muslim majority groups (247,000,000), followed by Pakistan (239,000,000) and India (198,000,000).
Six countries have more than 500 people groups, with India exceeding 2260.
The Gond people of India speak 127 languages, and the Rajput speak 91.

All People Groups
by Reachedness Status