An unreached people group is a people with little or no access to the gospel: people who can be born, live their whole lives and die without ever hearing it. Often there is no church nearby, no Bible in their language, and no Christian they could meet.
Defined by
Access to the gospel, not poverty or danger
Unit
People group, not country
Threshold
5% or fewer Christian adherents and 2% or fewer evangelical (Joshua Project)
People and groups
About 3.6 billion people, roughly 44% of the world, in 7,163 groups counted country by country, or 4,484 counted across countries (Joshua Project, October 2026)
A people group is a community of people who share a language, culture and identity. Once the gospel takes root among them, it can spread naturally from person to person.
A single country can hold dozens or even hundreds of people groups. That is why missions thinks in people groups, not just countries: a country can have many churches while some of its people groups have none.
The three terms describe how much access a people group has to the gospel, from a strong local church to no known effort at all.
Term
What it means
What it needs most
Reached
What it means
Enough believers and churches to reach their own people
What it needs most
Strong local churches to keep growing
Unreached
What it means
Little or no access to the gospel: too few believers or churches to reach their own people
What it needs most
Outside help alongside any local believers
Unengaged
What it means
Unreached, with no known church-planting effort yet
What it needs most
Someone to begin the work
The 10/40 Window is a region across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, roughly between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, where many unreached peoples live. Joshua Project's country list also adds some nearby countries, so the boundary is approximate.
It matters because Jesus sent his Church to make disciples of all nations, and many people will never meet a follower of Jesus unless someone from outside comes alongside them.
Psalm 67 prays that God's “way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” Today the majority of Christians live in Asia, Africa and Latin America, often close to unreached peoples in language and culture. That is why we partner with local churches already near them.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2025 →Your church can help reach unreached people groups in five ways, and most churches start with the first two.
1
Pray
Pray for one people group by name, together, every month.
2
Learn
Study God's heart for the nations through Explore or the Perspectives course.
3
Give
Give toward work among unreached peoples through trusted partners.
4
Go
Serve alongside partners on a short-term trip, or long-term.
5
Partner
Build a lasting partnership with a local church near an unreached people.
How many unreached people groups are there?
About 3.6 billion people live in unreached people groups, roughly 44% of the world. Joshua Project counts 7,163 groups when each country is counted separately, and 4,484 when groups are counted across countries (October 2026). These are research estimates that change as the data improves.
Are there still unreached people groups?
Yes. Joshua Project still counts about 3.6 billion people in unreached people groups (Joshua Project, October 2026). Many live in the region missionaries call the 10/40 Window, though not all of them.
What is the difference between a people group and a country?
A country can hold many people groups, each with its own language, culture and identity. A country can have many churches while some of its people groups have none.
How can my church help reach the unreached?
Pray for one people group by name, learn together through a study like Explore or Perspectives, give toward work among them, and partner with local churches already near them.
What is a sending church?
How a local church raises up and sends its own missionaries →How do I become a missionary?
The path from first questions to the field →How should a church plan a trip?
Short-term trips done right →Start with the free check-up, or a Vision Meeting with Ethan.
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”
Psalm 67:1–2