Country: South Africa
Number of People Groups
65
People Groups Unreached
8 (12.3%)
Progress Level
Total
Population
60,277,000
Population in Unreached
982,000 (1.6%)
Largest Religion
% Christian Adherent
77.06%
% Evangelical
21.02%
Evangelical Annual Growth Rate
2.2%
| Photo | People Group ▲ | Population this Country |
Global Population |
Indigenous | Primary Language | Primary Religion | Progress Scale |
% Christian Adherent |
% Evangelical | Est. Workers Needed * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Afrikaner | 4,018,000 | 4,712,000 | ● | Afrikaans | Christianity | 5 ● | 89.00 % | 23.25 % | -1 - |
|
Americans, U.S. | 12,000 | 196,885,000 | English | Christianity | 5 ● | 77.00 % | 28.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Anglo-South African | 1,359,000 | 1,492,000 | ● | English | Christianity | 5 ● | 85.00 % | 19.93 % | -1 - |
|
Arab, Egyptian | 61,000 | 76,698,000 | Arabic, Egyptian Spoken | Islam | 4 ● | 13.00 % | 3.90 % | -1 - | |
|
Arab, Lebanese | 5,700 | 6,330,000 | Arabic, Levantine | Islam | 2 ● | 32.00 % | 0.50 % | -1 - | |
|
Bhojpuri Bihari | 58,000 | 86,000 | Bhojpuri | Hinduism | 1 ● | 5.00 % | 0.50 % | 1 | |
|
Birwa | 12,000 | 164,000 | Birwa | Ethnic Religions | 4 ● | 34.00 % | 6.00 % | -1 - | |
|
British | 274,000 | 53,969,000 | English | Christianity | 4 ● | 60.00 % | 8.80 % | -1 - | |
|
Chinese, general | 364,000 | 15,879,000 | English | Non-Religious | 4 ● | 8.00 % | 5.70 % | -1 - | |
|
Coloured | 5,376,000 | 5,376,000 | ● | Afrikaans | Christianity | 5 ● | 82.00 % | 24.36 % | -1 - |
|
|
Coloured Creole | 40,000 | 40,000 | ● | Oorlams | Christianity | 4 ● | 80.00 % | 6.00 % | -1 - |
|
Deaf | 453,000 | 49,661,000 | ● | South African Sign Language | Christianity | 3 ● | 75.24 % | -1 | -1 - |
|
Dutch | 31,000 | 13,830,000 | Dutch | Non-Religious | 4 ● | 46.00 % | 4.50 % | -1 - | |
|
French | 12,000 | 50,459,000 | French | Christianity | 3 ● | 61.00 % | 1.00 % | -1 - | |
|
German | 15,000 | 67,100,000 | German, Standard | Christianity | 4 ● | 64.00 % | 2.10 % | -1 - | |
|
Greek | 21,000 | 10,478,000 | Greek | Christianity | 3 ● | 91.00 % | 0.40 % | -1 - | |
|
Griqua | 100 | 100 | ● | English | Christianity | 4 ● | 100.00 % | 10.00 % | -1 - |
|
Gujarati | 32,000 | 3,464,000 | Gujarati | Hinduism | 1 ● | 3.00 % | 0.40 % | 1 | |
|
Hindi | 471,000 | 2,734,000 | Hindi | Hinduism | 1 ● | 4.00 % | 0.60 % | 9 | |
|
Indian, English-speaking | 467,000 | 546,000 | English | Hinduism | 2 ● | 10.00 % | 1.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Italian | 20,000 | 37,702,000 | Italian | Christianity | 3 ● | 82.00 % | 1.10 % | -1 - | |
|
Jewish, English-speaking | 51,000 | 5,401,000 | ● | English | Ethnic Religions | 1 ● | 0.50 % | 0.10 % | 1 |
|
|
Korana | 11,000 | 11,000 | ● | Language unknown | Christianity | 4 ● | 70.00 % | 10.00 % | -1 - |
|
Korean | 1,400 | 81,888,000 | Korean | Christianity | 5 ● | 31.00 % | 16.80 % | -1 - | |
|
Kung-Ekoka | 4,200 | 25,000 | Kung-Ekoka | Ethnic Religions | 2 ● | 8.00 % | 0.20 % | -1 - | |
|
Kxoe, Xun | 1,500 | 8,400 | Khwedam | Ethnic Religions | 5 ● | 20.00 % | 15.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Lembaa | 1,396,000 | 1,507,000 | ● | Venda | Ethnic Religions | 5 ● | 40.00 % | 17.72 % | -1 - |
|
Makhuwa | 18,000 | 3,706,000 | Makhuwa | Ethnic Religions | 4 ● | 21.00 % | 3.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Malay, Cape | 327,000 | 327,000 | ● | Afrikaans | Islam | 1 ● | 0.50 % | 0.20 % | 7 |
|
Mauritian | 43,000 | 1,104,000 | Morisyen | Hinduism | 4 ● | 35.00 % | 6.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Nama, Khoekhoe | 2,200 | 360,000 | Khoekhoe | Christianity | 5 ● | 70.00 % | 14.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Ndebele, Southern | 1,258,000 | 1,258,000 | ● | Ndebele | Christianity | 5 ● | 80.00 % | 12.18 % | -1 - |
|
|
Nghuki | 700 | 700 | ● | Afrikaans | Christianity | 3 ● | 90.00 % | 2.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Nusan Nung, Ngamani | 500 | 3,600 | Xoo | Ethnic Religions | 2 ● | 14.00 % | 2.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Nyanja, Chewa | 3,300 | 13,642,000 | Chichewa | Christianity | 5 ● | 65.00 % | 13.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Pedi, North Sotho | 5,377,000 | 5,596,000 | ● | Sotho, Northern | Christianity | 5 ● | 82.00 % | 12.18 % | -1 - |
|
Portuguese | 1,889,000 | 22,749,000 | Portuguese | Christianity | 4 ● | 94.00 % | 3.32 % | -1 - | |
|
Romani, Romanichal | 10,000 | 182,000 | Angloromani | Christianity | 4 ● | 65.00 % | 3.00 % | -1 - | |
|
|
Ronga | 1,300 | 649,000 | Ronga | Christianity | 4 ● | 80.00 % | 3.00 % | -1 - | |
|
|
Setswana | 408,000 | 906,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 68.00 % | 16.00 % | -1 - |
|
Shona | 23,000 | 1,406,000 | Shona | Christianity | 5 ● | 65.00 % | 12.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Somali | 24,000 | 26,240,000 | Somali | Islam | 1 ● | 0.50 % | 0.40 % | 1 | |
|
Sotho, Khutswe | 614,000 | 614,000 | ● | Sotho, Northern | Christianity | 5 ● | 80.00 % | 14.00 % | -1 - |
|
Sotho, Southern | 4,481,000 | 6,398,000 | ● | Sotho, Southern | Christianity | 5 ● | 82.00 % | 21.04 % | -1 - |
|
South Asian, Telugu-speaking | 5,000 | 1,175,000 | Telugu | Hinduism | 4 ● | 7.00 % | 7.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Swahili | 2,500 | 1,183,000 | Swahili | Islam | 0 ☀ | 0.00 % | 0.00 % | 1 | |
|
Swazi | 1,505,000 | 2,614,000 | Swati | Christianity | 5 ● | 75.00 % | 16.61 % | -1 - | |
|
Tamil (Hindu traditions) | 33,000 | 2,857,000 | Tamil | Hinduism | 2 ● | 12.00 % | 1.50 % | -1 - | |
|
Tsonga, Shangaan | 2,631,000 | 7,219,000 | ● | Tsonga | Christianity | 5 ● | 68.00 % | 21.04 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswa | 25,000 | 1,080,000 | Tswa | Christianity | 5 ● | 75.00 % | 11.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Tswana, Detribalized | 292,000 | 405,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 85.00 % | 15.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Hurutshe | 1,536,000 | 1,552,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 70.00 % | 22.15 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Kwena | 58,000 | 318,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 72.00 % | 13.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Malete | 58,000 | 103,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 73.00 % | 16.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Ngwaketse | 175,000 | 423,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 72.00 % | 13.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Ngwato | 58,000 | 650,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 70.00 % | 17.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Rolong | 583,000 | 617,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 78.00 % | 13.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Tlhaping | 408,000 | 408,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 60.00 % | 17.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Tlharu | 467,000 | 467,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 65.00 % | 13.00 % | -1 - |
|
|
Tswana-Tlokwa | 233,000 | 245,000 | ● | Setswana | Christianity | 5 ● | 55.00 % | 14.00 % | -1 - |
|
Urdu | 15,000 | 2,146,000 | Urdu | Islam | 0 ☀ | 0.00 % | 0.00 % | 1 | |
|
|
Vasekela Bushman, Maligo | 3,800 | 20,000 | Northwestern Kung | Ethnic Religions | 2 ● | 32.00 % | 2.00 % | -1 - | |
|
Xhosa | 8,575,000 | 8,652,000 | ● | Xhosa | Christianity | 5 ● | 81.00 % | 26.58 % | -1 - |
|
Xhosa-Tembu | 919,000 | 919,000 | ● | Xhosa | Christianity | 5 ● | 75.00 % | 20.00 % | -1 - |
|
Zulu | 13,644,000 | 14,243,000 | ● | Zulu | Christianity | 5 ● | 81.00 % | 28.79 % | -1 - |
| Totals: 65 | 60,277,000 | 8 ● | 77.06 % | 21.02 % | 22 | |||||
| Unclassified / Other Individuals | 137,000 | |||||||||
| UN Country Population (2023) | 60,414,000 |
| Province ▲ | Estimated Population |
|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 7,087,000 |
| Free State | 2,871,000 |
| Gauteng | 13,572,000 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 11,207,000 |
| Limpopo | 5,873,000 |
| Mpumalanga | 4,392,000 |
| North West | 3,796,000 |
| Northern Cape | 1,209,000 |
| Western Cape | 6,361,000 |
| Provinces: 9 | 56,368,000 |
| UN Country Population | 60,414,000 |
 |
South Africa prayer cards. All Unreached |
| Operation World |
| World Factbook |
| Religious Freedom Report |
| UN Human Development Report |
| Ethnologue Language Listing |
| National Bible Society |
| Political Map (UN) |
| Language Map (Ethnologue) |
| Ethnolinguistic Map (Univ of Texas) |
| Perry-Castaneda Map Collection |
| Language ▲ | Code | # Peoples w/ this Primary Language |
# Unreached w/ this Primary Language |
Scripture Status |
NT Text Online |
NT Audio Online |
Jesus Film Online |
Audio Recordings Online |
Gospel Tract Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | afr | 4 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Angloromani | rme | 1 | 0 | 3 Bible Portions | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Arabic, Egyptian Spoken | arz | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Arabic, Levantine | apc | 1 | 0 | 3 Bible Portions | -1 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bhojpuri | bho | 1 | 1 | 4 New Testament | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Birwa | brl | 1 | 0 | 2 Translation Started | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | -1 |
| Chichewa | nya | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dutch | nld | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| English | eng | 7 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| French | fra | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| German, Standard | deu | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Greek | ell | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gujarati | guj | 1 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hindi | hin | 1 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Italian | ita | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Khoekhoe | naq | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Khwedam | xuu | 1 | 0 | 3 Bible Portions | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Korean | kor | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kung-Ekoka | knw | 1 | 0 | 3 Bible Portions | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | -1 |
| Makhuwa | vmw | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Morisyen | mfe | 1 | 0 | 4 New Testament | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Ndebele | nbl | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Northwestern Kung | vaj | 1 | 0 | 2 Translation Started | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | -1 |
| Oorlams | oor | 1 | 0 | 1 Translation Needed | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Portuguese | por | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ronga | rng | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | -1 |
| Setswana | tsn | 11 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shona | sna | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Somali | som | 1 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sotho, Northern | nso | 2 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sotho, Southern | sot | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| South African Sign Language | sfs | 1 | 0 | 3 Bible Portions | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Swahili | swh | 1 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Swati | ssw | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Tamil | tam | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Telugu | tel | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tsonga | tso | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tswa | tsc | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Unknown | xxx | 1 | 0 | Unspecified | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Urdu | urd | 1 | 1 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Venda | ven | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Xhosa | xho | 2 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Xoo | nmn | 1 | 0 | 2 Translation Started | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | -1 |
| Zulu | zul | 1 | 0 | 5 Complete Bible | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals: | 44 | 65 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 35 | 39 | 26 |
- MissionNext - connect with mission agencies or schools worldwide
- The Mission App - connecting you to mission agencies that match your calling
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- visionSynergy - developing high impact missional networks
- GetInvolved - frontier people group (FPGs) prayer communities
There are many agencies and churches looking for additional staff to help them in their mission and calling in South Africa. Internet searches are probably the best way to find these organizations. The following are some example search topics you might try:
- Church planting agencies in South Africa
- Christian ministry in South Africa
- Business as mission
- Christian literature distribution
- Evangelism agencies
- Christian discipleship
- Short term Christian missions
- Long term Christian missions
- Urban ministries
- Christian media opportunities
- Bible translation opportunities
- Relief and development agencies
- Clean water projects
- Christian medical outreaches
| People Groups | 65 |
| Unreached People Groups | 8 (12.3%) |
| Population | 60,277,000 |
| Population Annual Growth Rate | 0.8% |
| Population in Unreached | 982,000 (1.6%) |
| Primary Religion | Christianity |
| Percent Christian Adherent | 77.1% |
| Percent Evangelical | 21.0% |
| Evangelical Annual Growth Rate | 2.2% |
| Pioneer Workers Needed * | 22 |
| Country Progress Level | 5 ● |
| Urbanization | 66% |
| Continent | Africa |
| Region | Africa, East and Southern |
| 10/40 Window | No |
| Country Code | SF |
| Official Language(s) | English | Afrikaans |
| Literacy Rate | 87% |
| Estimated Illiterate Population | 7,836,000 |
| Persecution Ranking | Not ranked |
|
All Unreached |
 |
| Political Map (UN) |
| Language Map (Ethnologue) |
| Ethnolinguistic Map (Univ of Texas) |
| Perry-Castaneda Map Collection |
| South Africa Prayercast Video |
