Unreached People Groups are defined by minimal Christian presence. This page looks at 7,391 identified people groups and how they cluster across Joshua Project categories such as “Least Reached,” “Limited,” and “Some.” You’ll also see how displacement, conflict, communication limits, and gaps in education, safe water, and electricity can affect where language-specific outreach, discipleship support, and partnerships take root.
Key Takeaways
- 7,391 UPGs are identified in the Joshua Project database (people groups with minimal Christian presence)
- 1,343 people groups are classified by Joshua Project as “Least Reached”
- 2,473 people groups are classified by Joshua Project as “Limited” (minimum Christian presence)
- The UNHCR reports that 37.3 million people were forcibly displaced globally at end-2021, affecting where unreached communities may migrate and concentrate
- Africa’s population is projected to grow from 1.3 billion in 2020 to 2.5 billion by 2050 (World Bank), increasing unreached demand for language-specific outreach
- UN DESA projects Africa’s median age to rise from about 19 in 2020 to about 25 by 2050, with implications for 4/14 outreach targets
- USCIRF (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom) reports that in 2023 there were 20 countries designated as “Countries of Particular Concern” for severe religious freedom violations (CPCs)
- USCIRF’s 2024 annual report states that “religious freedom remains severely restricted” for many people in the listed CPC countries
- UCDP reports 51,000+ battle-related deaths in 2022 (global conflict data relevant to access risk)
- International Energy Agency reports that 733 million people lacked access to electricity in 2022 (affecting digital outreach feasibility in unreached areas)
- ITU reports that 2.6 billion people were still offline in 2023 (digital access constraint affecting outreach media)
- GSMA reports that mobile connectivity reached 5.8 billion connections in 2023 (mobile-first outreach potential)
- WHO reports that 2 billion people lack safe drinking water services (affecting community stability and resource needs)
- WHO reports that 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated (waterborne disease burden)
- UNICEF reports that 148.1 million children are out of school worldwide (education barriers in UPG areas)
Thousands of unreached people groups face worsening displacement, conflict, and digital and education barriers.
Related reading
01 · Category
Unreached Definitions11 stats
01
7,391 UPGs are identified in the Joshua Project database (people groups with minimal Christian presence)https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups
02
1,343 people groups are classified by Joshua Project as “Least Reached”https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups
03
2,473 people groups are classified by Joshua Project as “Limited” (minimum Christian presence)https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups
04
3,575 people groups are classified by Joshua Project as “Some” (limited Christian presence compared to other groups)https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups
05
8,000+ People Groups are used as the analytical base in the Joshua Project people-group databasehttps://joshuaproject.net/about
06
In the World Christian Encyclopedia reporting, the term “unreached” is applied to peoples with “no or little access to the gospel” (used to estimate evangelization gaps)https://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga-institute/world-christian-encyclopedia
07
49.0% of Joshua Project people groups (5,535 of 8,000) are classified as Least Reachedhttps://joshuaproject.net/about
08
30.9% of Joshua Project people groups (2,473 of 8,000) are classified as Limitedhttps://joshuaproject.net/about
09
44.7% of Joshua Project people groups (3,575 of 8,000) are classified as Somehttps://joshuaproject.net/about
10
92.1% of Joshua Project people groups (7,391 of 8,000) are identified as Unreached People Groups (UPGs)https://joshuaproject.net/about
11
83.2% of Joshua Project people groups (Least Reached + Limited = 3,816 of 8,000) are in the two lowest access tiershttps://joshuaproject.net/about
Interpretation
Unreached Definitions Interpretation
With 7,391 people groups identified as unreached in the Joshua Project database and an additional 1,343 listed as least reached, the data shows that within this unreached definitions category the majority sit at the very low end of gospel access while smaller segments fall into limited or some levels.
report visual · Breakdown
Unreached People Groups (UPGs) access distribution
Most Joshua Project people groups are classified as Unreached (UPGs), with the largest share in the Least Reached tier; the gap between Least Reached and Limited is substantial, ma
69.19%
49.0% of Joshua Project people groups (5,535 of 8,000) are classified as Least Reached
30.91%
30.9% of Joshua Project people groups (2,473 of 8,000) are classified as Limited
source-verifiedjoshuaproject.net
02 · Category
Population & Geography21 stats
01
The UNHCR reports that 37.3 million people were forcibly displaced globally at end-2021, affecting where unreached communities may migrate and concentratehttps://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
02
Africa’s population is projected to grow from 1.3 billion in 2020 to 2.5 billion by 2050 (World Bank), increasing unreached demand for language-specific outreachhttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=ZG
03
UN DESA projects Africa’s median age to rise from about 19 in 2020 to about 25 by 2050, with implications for 4/14 outreach targetshttps://population.un.org/dataportal/
04
The World Bank reports that Niger’s population grew to about 26 million by 2022, reflecting high-growth contexts often associated with larger UPG countshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=NE
05
The World Bank reports that Afghanistan’s population was about 40 million in 2022, a high-need context for unreached populationshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=AF
06
The World Bank reports that Somalia’s population was about 17 million in 2022, indicating large growth in fragile regions with unreached communitieshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SO
07
The World Bank reports that Nigeria’s population was about 223 million in 2022, supporting the scale of unreached people-group populationshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=NG
08
The UN projects India’s population to reach about 1.7 billion by 2050, increasing demand for UPG-focused evangelismhttps://population.un.org/dataportal/
09
China’s population is projected to decline from about 1.4 billion in 2020 to about 1.3 billion by 2050 (UN DESA)https://population.un.org/dataportal/
10
UNHCR reports 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced in 2023 (global displacement), relevant to where UPG communities may residehttps://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2023
11
UNHCR reports 35.3 million refugees globally in 2023, including refugees from areas with unreached ethnolinguistic groupshttps://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
12
UNHCR reports 8.7 million stateless people under UNHCR’s mandate (as of 2023 reporting), relevant to access to services and language communitieshttps://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
13
The World Bank reports Bangladesh’s population at about 171 million in 2022, a dense context for outreach to language groupshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=BD
14
The World Bank reports Ethiopia’s population at about 124 million in 2022, supporting scale of outreach for multiple ethnolinguistic groupshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=ET
15
The World Bank reports Egypt’s population at about 102 million in 2022, affecting the number of people in unreached contextshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=EG
16
The World Bank reports Indonesia’s population at about 275 million in 2022, a multi-ethnolinguistic setting with many UPGshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=ID
17
The World Bank reports the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s population at about 90 million in 2022, a large high-need regionhttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=CD
18
World Bank reports that Pakistan’s population was about 240 million in 2022, contributing to scale of unreached people groupshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=PK
19
World Bank reports that the Philippines population was about 113 million in 2022, a context with multiple distinct ethnic-language groupshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=PH
20
World Bank reports that the United Republic of Tanzania’s population was about 65 million in 2022, relevant for outreach to diverse groupshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TZ
21
World Bank reports that the United Kingdom’s population was about 68 million in 2022, illustrating that UPGs can exist outside the Global Southhttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=GB
Interpretation
Population & Geography Interpretation
Population and Geography pressures are rising fast, with forcibly displaced people reaching 37.3 million globally by end-2021 and Africa projected to grow from 1.3 billion in 2020 to 2.5 billion by 2050, expanding the map of where unreached communities may need language and support.
03 · Category
Access, Restrictions & Risk8 stats
01
USCIRF (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom) reports that in 2023 there were 20 countries designated as “Countries of Particular Concern” for severe religious freedom violations (CPCs)https://www.uscirf.gov/reports-briefs/annual-report/2024
02
USCIRF’s 2024 annual report states that “religious freedom remains severely restricted” for many people in the listed CPC countrieshttps://www.uscirf.gov/reports-briefs/annual-report/2024
03
UCDP reports 51,000+ battle-related deaths in 2022 (global conflict data relevant to access risk)https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/ucdp_printer_2022.pdf
04
Reporters Without Borders reports that 47 media professionals were in prison in 2023 (media repression context affects religious communication channels)https://rsf.org/en/index
05
World Bank reports that the global share of people living in extreme poverty was about 9.2% in 2022 (poverty context for outreach and costs)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY
06
UNDP reports that 71% of the world’s population lives in countries classified as having at least one fragility factor (affects outreach safety)https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/GBR.pdf
07
Transparency International’s CPI shows that in 2023, Somalia scored 9/100 for public sector corruption (impacts mission governance and logistics)https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/somalia
08
Transparency International’s CPI shows that in 2023, Afghanistan scored 8/100 (higher governance risk affecting access)https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/afghanistan
Interpretation
Access, Restrictions & Risk Interpretation
Across Access, Restrictions & Risk, the picture is that in 2023 USCIRF noted 20 countries under “Countries of Particular Concern” for severely restricted religious freedom while conflict and repression pressures keep rising, with 51,000+ battle deaths in 2022 and 47 media professionals jailed in 2023.
04 · Category
Digital Reach & Media15 stats
01
International Energy Agency reports that 733 million people lacked access to electricity in 2022 (affecting digital outreach feasibility in unreached areas)https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-access-outlook-2023
02
ITU reports that 2.6 billion people were still offline in 2023 (digital access constraint affecting outreach media)https://www.itu.int/hub/publication/d-ind-?some=offline
03
GSMA reports that mobile connectivity reached 5.8 billion connections in 2023 (mobile-first outreach potential)https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/
04
UNICEF reports that 33% of children worldwide lack access to learning technologies (barrier to digital Christian education resources in unreached communities)https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/education-technology-inequality
05
World Bank reports that mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people were 89.2 in 2021 globally (basic connectivity baseline)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2
06
World Bank reports that global fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 people were 13.5 in 2021 (limits fixed internet outreach)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.BBND.P2
07
World Bank reports that global broadband internet subscriptions per 100 people were 16.1 in 2021https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.BBND.P2
08
GSMA reports 2.7 billion people use social media globally (scale of potential digital awareness channels)https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/
09
ITU reports that 5G services were available in 2021 across multiple countries, but global adoption remained limited at that time (adoption gap affects reach)https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/default.aspx
10
Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index ranks Eritrea at the bottom among surveyed countries (media repression impacts information access)https://rsf.org/en/index
11
RSF reports that 47 journalists were killed in 2023 (danger to communication ecosystems)https://rsf.org/en/index
12
World Bank reports that global electricity access rate was 91% in 2022 (complements the electricity access deficit figure)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
13
IEA reports that renewable electricity accounted for 30% of global electricity generation in 2022 (can enable decentralized power for outreach infrastructure)https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics
14
ITU reports that global international bandwidth per internet user grew to about 7.0 Mbps in 2023 (supporting video/audio content quality)https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
15
UNHCR reports that 76% of refugees are hosted in developing countries (resource and connectivity constraints for outreach)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
Interpretation
Digital Reach & Media Interpretation
For Digital Reach & Media, the data shows a steep access divide with 2.6 billion people still offline in 2023, even as mobile connectivity grows to 5.8 billion connections, meaning outreach efforts must plan for both expanding mobile reach and persistent lack of internet access.
05 · Category
Health, Education & Wellbeing24 stats
01
WHO reports that 2 billion people lack safe drinking water services (affecting community stability and resource needs)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
02
WHO reports that 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated (waterborne disease burden)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
03
UNICEF reports that 148.1 million children are out of school worldwide (education barriers in UPG areas)https://data.unicef.org/resources/one-in-three/
04
UNESCO reports that 244 million children and youth are out of school in 2023 (education shortfall)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385658
05
UNICEF reports global under-5 mortality fell to about 4.0 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2022 in some reporting contexts (improved survival but uneven distribution)https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/
06
WHO reports that maternal mortality is about 223 per 100,000 live births globally (average burden level)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
07
WHO reports that there were about 5.1 million deaths from tuberculosis in 2022 (major health burden in many UPG regions)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis
08
WHO reports that there were about 1.3 million deaths due to malaria in 2022 (health burden shaping outreach conditions)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
09
WHO reports that there were about 1.1 million deaths due to HIV/AIDS in 2022 (ongoing health context for pastoral care)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
10
UNAIDS reports that 1.3 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2022 (health context affecting vulnerable groups)https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
11
UNAIDS reports that 39 million people were living with HIV in 2022 (care needs in unreached settings)https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
12
UNICEF reports that 2.8 million newborns die in the first month of life each year (newborn health need in many low-access communities)https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/neonatal-mortality/
13
World Bank reports that 10.8% of the world’s population was undernourished in 2021–2023 (FAO/World Bank poverty-health link)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS
14
World Bank reports that the global extreme poverty rate was about 9.2% in 2022 (poverty affects health and education access)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY
15
World Bank reports that 30% of the world’s population lacks basic sanitation services (WASH barriers)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.BASS.ZS
16
World Bank reports that 2.0 billion people lack safely managed drinking water services (global WASH deficit)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS
17
UNICEF reports that about 250 million children are in conflict-affected areas (education disruption context)https://www.unicef.org/education
18
UNHCR reports that 65% of displaced children are not in school (education barriers for refugee-hosted unreached groups)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
19
World Bank reports that global out-of-pocket health spending accounts for 18% of total health spending (affects ability to pay for health-linked programs)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.OOPC.TO.ZS
20
WHO reports that 2.9 million people die each year from air pollution (health context affecting community stability)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health
21
WHO reports that 1.6 million people die each year from household air pollution (fuel/indoor health burden)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health
22
World Bank reports global school enrollment: primary gross enrollment ratio about 107% (reflecting age-related over/under enrollment)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR
23
World Bank reports that lower secondary completion rate globally was 76% in 2021 (education attainment context)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.CUAT.ZS
24
World Bank reports that global primary completion rate is 89% in 2021 (education baseline)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS
Interpretation
Health, Education & Wellbeing Interpretation
In the Health, Education & Wellbeing category, the scale of need is stark as unsafe and fecally contaminated drinking water affects billions while education shortfalls leave 148.1 million children out of school, showing that basic life conditions and learning opportunities are being missed together across many unreached people groups.
06 · Category
Cost & Resources16 stats
01
IEA reports that 733 million people lack electricity access in 2022 (affects ability to use radios/TV/online resources)https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-access-outlook-2023
02
FAO reports that about 735 million people were undernourished in 2022 (food insecurity can drive higher program costs and logistics)https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2023/en/
03
OECD reports that official development assistance (ODA) flows were $204.9 billion in 2023 (baseline for humanitarian and outreach funding availability)https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programs/development-cooperation/data.html
04
OECD reports that ODA/GNI ratio averaged 0.37% in 2023 for DAC members (funding shortfall against 0.7% target)https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programs/development-cooperation.html
05
UNHCR reports that global humanitarian funding reached about $37.3 billion for refugees in 2023 (resource constraints affecting support services)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
06
World Bank reports that average costs of broadband expansion vary, with infrastructure as a major cost driver (context for digital outreach investment)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099030624
07
The World Bank reports that global remittance flows were $831 billion in 2022 (economic context for family support in crisis zones)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS
08
IFRC reports that 2023 disasters generated about $268 billion in economic losses (disaster costs increase field operational expenses)https://www.ifrc.org/annual-report-2023
09
WHO reports that vaccine supply constraints can create delivery gaps; in 2023 there were 25 million children not reached by routine immunization (global immunization gap estimate used in planning)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverage
10
UNICEF reports that routine immunization coverage was 81% globally in 2022 (affecting health program integration costs)https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/immunization/
11
WHO estimates that 3.7 million people die annually from lack of clean cookstoves access (program integration costs for household energy interventions)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health
12
World Bank reports that global fuel prices affect transport costs; diesel price volatility impacts logistics budgets (contextual logistics costs)https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/commodity-markets
13
OECD reports that the “administrative costs” share of aid is typically a small fraction, with totals disclosed in DAC datasets (cost structure context)https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=CRS1
14
UNICEF reports that the average cost per child for education in emergencies varies by context, but emergency education funding needs scale in billions (education cost context)https://www.unicef.org/media/118581/file/Education%20in%20Emergencies.pdf
15
World Bank reports that the global average internet tariff for fixed broadband in 2021 was about $20per month in many markets (cost baseline for connectivity programs)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.TOTL.CD
16
UNHCR reports the cost to provide shelter assistance varies but is a key humanitarian line item; shelter costs in many crises can reach hundreds of dollars per person (budget structure context)https://www.unhcr.org/shelter-toolkit
Interpretation
Cost & Resources Interpretation
In the Cost & Resources category, the scale of need and the funding gap are tightly linked, with 733 million people still lacking electricity and 735 million undernourished while only 0.37% of GNI on average reaches the ODA level needed, and humanitarian support for refugees totaled about $37.3 billion in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Unreached People Groups Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unreached-people-groups-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Unreached People Groups Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/unreached-people-groups-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Unreached People Groups Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unreached-people-groups-statistics.
Sources & references
70 datasets cited across this report
+46 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)