• Affinity Bloc:  

Affinity Bloc:  Sub-Saharan Peoples What is an Affinity Bloc?

Population

944,677,000

Number of People Clusters

54

People Groups (by Country)

3,097

Unreached People Groups

659 (21 %)

Map Notes
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Progress Scale: ●●●●●
People Cluster ▲ Population Peoples
by Country		 Unreached
by Country		 % Groups
Unreached		 Popl in
Unreached		 % Popl in
Unreached		 Progress
Scale		 Primary
Religion		 % Christian
Adherent		 %
Evangelical		 Est. Workers
Needed * 
Adamawa-Ubangi 13,236,000 162 12 7.4 % 202,000 1.5 %    ● Christianity 69.36 % 21.46 % 4
Atlantic 8,024,000 65 24 36.9 % 895,000 11.2 %    ● Islam 14.26 % 2.82 % 18
Atlantic-Jola 810,000 20 9 45.0 % 78,000 9.7 %    ● Islam 16.96 % 0.87 % 2
Atlantic-Wolof 6,782,000 14 14 100.0 % 6,782,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.06 % 0.02 % 136
Bantu, Cameroon-Bamileke 6,986,000 67 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 67.37 % 7.80 % -
Bantu, Central-Congo 32,658,000 161 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 88.77 % 17.38 % -
Bantu, Central-East 5,080,000 10 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 70.17 % 14.77 % -
Bantu, Central-Lakes 71,863,000 101 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 89.14 % 31.43 % -
Bantu, Central-Luba 20,893,000 18 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 87.90 % 18.86 % -
Bantu, Central-South 36,044,000 137 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 88.69 % 22.43 % -
Bantu, Central-Southeast 10,939,000 11 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 64.74 % 19.25 % -
Bantu, Central-Southwest 12,767,000 20 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 94.73 % 20.79 % -
Bantu, Central-Tanzania 30,999,000 59 2 3.4 % 750,000 2.4 %    ● Christianity 58.20 % 12.41 % 15
Bantu, Chewa-Sena 22,595,000 30 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 85.31 % 21.77 % -
Bantu, East-Coastal 6,638,000 26 10 38.5 % 1,024,000 15.4 %    ● Christianity 44.27 % 17.50 % 20
Bantu, Gikuyu-Kamba 23,095,000 19 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 94.07 % 63.66 % -
Bantu, Kongo 19,493,000 12 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 88.57 % 23.18 % -
Bantu, Makua-Yao 33,471,000 52 13 25.0 % 5,690,000 17.0 %    ● Christianity 42.25 % 18.07 % 114
Bantu, Nguni 32,034,000 25 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 79.34 % 24.42 % -
Bantu, Northwest 12,843,000 103 1 1.0 % 5,700 0.0 %    ● Christianity 90.43 % 18.24 % 1
Bantu, Shona 12,495,000 28 1 3.6 % 18,000 0.1 %    ● Christianity 71.86 % 23.04 % 1
Bantu, Sotho-Tswana 20,375,000 43 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 79.10 % 15.57 % -
Bantu, Southeastern 1,506,000 2 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Ethnic Religions 40.14 % 16.85 % -
Bantu, Swahili 6,605,000 56 53 94.6 % 6,494,000 98.3 %    ● Islam 1.24 % 0.61 % 130
Benue 40,458,000 339 31 9.1 % 831,000 2.1 %    ● Christianity 76.04 % 27.67 % 17
Chadic 14,982,000 218 65 29.8 % 3,091,000 20.6 %    ● Christianity 39.51 % 10.02 % 62
Fulani / Fulbe 40,617,000 47 47 100.0 % 40,617,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.36 % 0.18 % 812
Guera-Naba of Chad 568,000 6 6 100.0 % 568,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.06 % 0.02 % 11
Guinean 47,685,000 168 10 6.0 % 833,000 1.7 %    ● Christianity 68.39 % 25.49 % 17
Gur 39,530,000 186 43 23.1 % 5,442,000 13.8 %    ● Islam 24.10 % 10.01 % 109
Hausa 54,474,000 18 18 100.0 % 54,474,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.64 % 0.48 % 1,089
Igbo 35,841,000 18 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 96.68 % 44.91 % -
Ijaw 6,157,000 11 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 97.48 % 40.35 % -
Kanuri-Saharan 12,563,000 28 27 96.4 % 12,520,000 99.7 %    ● Islam 0.02 % 0.01 % 250
Khoisan 2,483,000 57 7 12.3 % 48,000 1.9 %    ● Christianity 80.70 % 17.60 % 1
Kru 4,648,000 55 3 5.5 % 81,000 1.7 %    ● Ethnic Religions 49.56 % 9.85 % 2
Malinke 14,680,000 58 47 81.0 % 14,227,000 96.9 %    ● Islam 1.24 % 0.35 % 285
Malinke-Bambara 7,256,000 16 14 87.5 % 7,062,000 97.3 %    ● Islam 4.06 % 1.02 % 141
Malinke-Jula 5,966,000 12 12 100.0 % 5,966,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.64 % 0.26 % 119
Mande 11,639,000 64 17 26.6 % 1,043,000 9.0 %    ● Ethnic Religions 21.22 % 8.88 % 21
Nilotic 44,321,000 134 18 13.4 % 957,000 2.2 %    ● Christianity 74.01 % 29.90 % 19
Nuba Mountains 1,585,000 40 33 82.5 % 977,000 61.6 %    ● Islam 13.07 % 1.54 % 20
Nubian 2,996,000 28 27 96.4 % 2,992,000 99.9 %    ● Islam 0.25 % 0.05 % 60
Nupe 4,322,000 11 6 54.5 % 319,000 7.4 %    ● Islam 18.28 % 3.25 % 6
Ouaddai-Fur 4,153,000 37 36 97.3 % 4,133,000 99.5 %    ● Islam 0.18 % 0.10 % 83
Pygmy 914,000 27 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Ethnic Religions 34.54 % 9.48 % -
Sara-Bagirmi 4,670,000 35 4 11.4 % 164,000 3.5 %    ● Christianity 54.65 % 12.15 % 3
Songhai 8,180,000 23 22 95.7 % 8,179,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.19 % 0.07 % 164
Soninke 3,698,000 17 17 100.0 % 3,698,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.27 % 0.02 % 74
Sub-Saharan African, general 1,131,000 10 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 62.36 % 11.48 % -
Sub-Saharan African, other 15,109,000 68 2 2.9 % 73,000 0.5 %    ● Christianity 72.17 % 19.27 % 1
Sudanic 14,541,000 81 3 3.7 % 735,000 5.1 %    ● Christianity 84.52 % 23.97 % 15
Susu 2,630,000 5 5 100.0 % 2,630,000 100.0 %    ● Islam 0.19 % 0.02 % 53
Yoruba 48,650,000 39 0 0.0 % Unknown 0.0 %    ● Christianity 61.55 % 47.39 % -
Totals:  54 People Clusters 944,677,000 3,097 659 21.3 % 193,594,000 20.5 %    14 ●       4,143
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  1. Joshua Project data is drawn from many sources and of varying accuracy depending on source and editorial decisions. Populations are scaled to the current year. Other data may have varying ages. We welcome updates.
  2. Joshua Project occasionally adjusts profile text from third party sources. This is done to avoid confusion regarding the current reality of a people group, to fix grammar and spelling and to avoid potentially offensive wording.
  3. A displayed zero can mean true zero, a very small rounded number or sometimes unknown. Blanks mean an unknown value.
  4. The data is sometimes not as precise as it appears. Values for %Christian Adherent and %Evangelical (which determine unreached status) are often informed estimates, some more accurate than others. We recommend against using %Christian Adherent and %Evangelical to calculate absolute numbers.
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