Bhutan people groups, languages and religions

Country: Bhutan South Asia Peoples website

Number of People Groups

People Groups Unreached

72 (96.0%)

Progress Level

The Joshua Project Progress Scale is an estimate of the progress of church planting among a people group, people cluster, country or language. The Progress Scale is derived from people group values for percent Evangelical and percent Christian Adherent.

Level	Description	Criteria
1	Unreached - Few evangelicals and few who identify as Christians. Little, if any, history of Christianity.	Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians <= 5%
2	Minimally reached - Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians.	Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians > 5% and <= 50%
3	Superficially reached - Few evangelicals, but many who identify as Christians. In great need of spiritual renewal and commitment to biblical faith.	Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians > 50%
4	Partially reached - Evangelicals have a modest presence.	Evangelicals > 2% and <= 10%
5	Significantly reached - Evangelicals have a significant presence.	Evangelicals > 10%

Total
Population

777,000

Population in Unreached

774,000 (99.6%)

Largest Religion

Buddhism (87.3%)

% Christian Adherent *

0.31%

% Evangelical

Unknown

Evangelical Annual Growth Rate

3.1%

(Global Rate = 2.6%)

* From latest Bhutan census data. Other reputable sources suggest two to three times this many Christians in Bhutan.

Map Notes

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼

Progress Scale: ●●●●●
☀
= Frontier peoples
People Group ▲	Population this Country	Global Population	Indigenous	Primary Language	Primary Religion	Progress Scale	% Christian Adherent *	% Evangelical	Est. Workers Needed **
Adi	2,700	85,000		Adi	Unknown	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Aka	400	13,000		Hruso	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Assamese (Muslim traditions)	2,000	3,121,000		Assamese	Islam	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Bania	3,800	16,822,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Bhotia Sikkim	6,100	87,000		Sikkimese	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Bodo (Hindu traditions)	6,500	1,857,000	●	Boro	Hinduism	1 ●	1.35 %	-1	1
Brahmin	6,100	34,394,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Broq-Pa	5,600	68,000	●	Brokpake	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Bumthangpa	22,000	22,000	●	Bumthangkha	Buddhism	1 ●	0.59 %	-1	1
Chali	1,800	1,800	●	Chalikha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Chhetri	4,200	5,183,000		Nepali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Dakpa	4,400	4,500	●	Dakpakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Darjee	1,900	582,000		Nepali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Deaf	5,800	48,207,000	●	Language unknown	Buddhism	1 ●	2.11 %	-1	1
Drukpa	216,000	231,000	●	Dzongkha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	4
Dzala	17,000	17,000	●	Dzalakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Garo (A-chik Mande)	800	1,372,000		Garo	Hinduism	2 ●	42.11 %	-1	-1 -
Gongduk	2,400	2,400	●	Gongduk	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Gurung Ghaleg	9,600	722,000		Nepali	Buddhism	1 ●	3.87 %	-1	1
Jogi (Hindu traditions)	700	4,338,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kachari Sonwal	1,100	326,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kaibartta	1,200	1,862,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kami	800	1,508,000		Nepali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kayastha (Hindu traditions)	1,500	8,468,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Khambu	1,400	368,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Khampa Tibetan	1,700	1,621,000		Khamba	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Khas	1,000	80,000		Bengali	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kheng	35,000	35,000	●	Khengkha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kumhar (Hindu traditions)	800	18,716,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Kurtokha	2,100	2,100	●	Kurtokha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Lap, Lakha	11,000	11,000	●	Lakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Layakha	3,500	3,500	●	Layakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Lhokpu	3,400	3,400	●	Lhokpu	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Loba	2,200	5,200		Lhowa	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Lodha (Hindu traditions)	600	6,042,000		Hindi	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Lunape	1,200	1,200	●	Lunanakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Magar	2,800	2,509,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Mahishya	800	12,293,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Matpa	20,000	20,000	●	Chocangacakha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Mech	400	71,000		Boro	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Miji [Sajalong]	300	9,800	●	Miji	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Monpa	96,000	143,000	●	Tshangla	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	2
Monpa Black Mountain	500	500	●	Olekha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Monpa Dirang	200	8,600	●	Brokpake	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Monpa Kalaktang	1,100	2,700	●	Tshangla	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Monpa Tawang	500	54,000	●	Brokpake	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Munda	1,900	4,352,000		Mundari	Hinduism	2 ●	5.11 %	-1	-1 -
Naga	200	22,000		Language unknown	Christianity	3 ●	91.11 %	-1	-1 -
Namassej (Hindu traditions)	4,800	4,402,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Newah	3,600	1,664,000		Nepali	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Ngalong	88,000	88,000	●	Dzongkha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	2
Nupbi	3,000	3,000	●	Nupbikha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Nyenpa	13,000	13,000	●	Nyenkha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Oraon, Kurux	10,000	5,381,000		Kurux	Hinduism	1 ●	2.27 %	-1	1
Rabha	1,600	432,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Rai	3,800	836,000		Assamese	Other / Small	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Rajbansi (Hindu traditions)	9,700	6,599,000		Rangpuri	Hinduism	1 ●	1.81 %	-1	1
Rajput (Hindu traditions)	1,500	27,190,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Rongkup	3,000	86,000		Lepcha	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Santal (Sawntal)	5,300	9,138,000		Santhali	Hinduism	1 ●	2.59 %	-1	1
Sarki	1,600	451,000		Nepali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Shaikh	9,100	212,131,000		Bengali	Islam	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Sharchop	66,000	66,000	●	Tshangla	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Sherdukpen	200	4,300		Sherdukpen	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Sherpa	9,800	183,000		Sherpa	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Sutradhar (Hindu traditions)	700	676,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Tamang	9,100	1,980,000		Nepali	Buddhism	1 ●	3.59 %	-1	1
Tanti (Hindu traditions)	900	5,889,000		Bengali	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Tibetan	4,500	1,130,000		Tibetan, Central	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Tibetan Gtsang	900	769,000		Tibetan, Central	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Tseku	6,500	22,000		Tseku	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Walang, Bantawa	3,600	7,600		Bantawa	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Yadav (Hindu traditions)	1,800	41,296,000		Assamese	Hinduism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Yakkha	200	34,000		Nepali	Buddhism	0 ☀	0.00 %	0.00 %	1
Yakthumba, Limbu	1,700	582,000		Nepali	Other / Small	1 ●	3.75 %	-1	1
Totals: 75	777,000					72 ●	0.31 %	0.00 %	77
Unclassified / Other Individuals	3,000
UN Country Population (2021)	780,000

Other minor groups: 60

Bhutan

Very small groups reported, but outside the Joshua Project Small Group Policy. Some may not be viable and/or have incorrect Progress Scale values, population, language and religion information. The groups listed below are not included in overall Joshua Project people group counts. If you have information about these groups, please contact us.

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼
People Group ▲	Progress Scale	Population	Primary Language	Primary Religion
Adap	1 ●	300	Dzongkha	Buddhism
Anglo	0 ●	-1 Unknown	English	Christianity
Arakanese	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Buddhism
Arleng	1 ●	200	Karbi	Unknown
Asur	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Hindi	Hinduism
Badaik	1 ●	400	Bengali	Hinduism
Bairagi, Hindu	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
British	4 ●	-1 Unknown	English	Christianity
Burmese	1 ●	400	Burmese	Buddhism
Chain	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Dhobi, Hindu	1 ●	300	Assamese	Hinduism
Gangai	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Nepali	Hinduism
Gharti	1 ●	300	Nepali	Hinduism
Ghasi, Hindu	1 ●	100	Bengali	Hinduism
Gond	3 ●	400	Assamese	Hinduism
Gosain, Hindu	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Hadi	1 ●	300	Bengali	Hinduism
Han Chinese, Mandarin	1 ●	100	Chinese, Mandarin	Buddhism
Hira	1 ●	200	Assamese	Hinduism
Jalkeot	1 ●	200	Assamese	Hinduism
Jhalo Malo	1 ●	400	Assamese	Hinduism
Jimdar	1 ●	100	Bengali	Hinduism
Kagate	1 ●	200	Syuba	Buddhism
Kahar, Hindu	1 ●	200	Bengali	Hinduism
Kalwar, Hindu	1 ●	100	Bengali	Hinduism
Kandu	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Kapali	1 ●	100	Bengali	Hinduism
Khairwar	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Assamese	Hinduism
Khandait	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Kharia	1 ●	200	Assamese	Hinduism
Kharwar	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Hindi	Hinduism
Konai	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Kui Khond	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Assamese	Hinduism
Kurmi, Hindu	1 ●	200	Bengali	Hinduism
Lohar, Hindu	1 ●	200	Hindi	Hinduism
Lohara	1 ●	300	Hindi	Hinduism
Lunia, Hindu	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Mahali	1 ●	300	Bengali	Hinduism
Matia	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Moghal	1 ●	200	Assamese	Islam
Nagarchi, Hindu	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Nai, Hindu	1 ●	500	Bengali	Hinduism
Nissi	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Nyishi	Unknown
Pashtun, Pathan	1 ●	200	Bengali	Islam
Pod	1 ●	300	Assamese	Hinduism
Pundari	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Qazi	1 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Islam
Rajwar	0 ●	-1 Unknown	Bengali	Hinduism
Saora	1 ●	300	Assamese	Hinduism
Sayyid	1 ●	300	Bengali	Islam
Sonar, Hindu	1 ●	400	Bengali	Hinduism
Sunri, Hindu	1 ●	100	Bengali	Hinduism
Sunuwar	1 ●	300	Nepali	Hinduism
Tamboli, Hindu	1 ●	300	Bengali	Hinduism
Teli, Hindu	1 ●	300	Bengali	Hinduism
Thakuri	1 ●	200	Nepali	Hinduism
Thami	1 ●	100	Nepali	Buddhism
Tharu	1 ●	400	Nepali	Hinduism
Tili, Hindu	1 ●	200	Assamese	Hinduism
Turi	1 ●	200	Bengali	Hinduism
Totals: 60

For more information see the Joshua Project Small Group Policy

* An estimate of the number of pioneer workers needed for initial church planting among unreached people groups by country. Estimates are calculated only for unreached people groups and are based on ratio of 1 worker-unit (single person or married couple) per 50,000 living in an unreached people group by country, or for example one team of four worker-units per 200,000 people. Some workers may already be onsite. Many more workers are needed beyond this initial estimate.

Download Data Data Sources Definitions

Prayer Cards

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼
Province ▲	Population	People Groups	Unreached Groups	% Unreached Peoples	Population in Unreached	% Population Unreached	Districts
Central	105,000	26	25	96.2 %	105,000	100.0 %	5
Eastern	207,000	55	52	94.5 %	206,000	99.5 %	6
Southern	109,000	42	39	92.9 %	108,000	99.1 %	4
Western	349,000	64	62	96.9 %	348,000	99.7 %	5
Country:	777,000	75	72	96.0 %	774,000	99.6 %	20

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼
Class ▲	Population	% Popl	% Hindu	% Muslim	% Christian	% Buddhist	% Sikh	% Other
Forward Caste (FC)	282,458,000	36,352.4 %	97.2 %	0.0 %	1.2 %	0.1 %	0.0 %	1.4 %
Other Backward Classes (OBC)	778,555,000	100,200.1 %	70.6 %	24.5 %	1.8 %	0.1 %	2.3 %	0.8 %
Scheduled Caste (SC)	207,795,000	26,743.2 %	93.3 %	0.0 %	0.4 %	3.6 %	2.6 %	0.0 %
Scheduled Tribe (ST)	118,286,000	15,223.4 %	81.3 %	1.5 %	9.4 %	0.8 %	0.0 %	6.8 %
	777,000

Why Use Caste to Define Peoples?

South Asia Communities / Castes: An Overview

A History of South Asia People Group Lists

Why Include Religion When Defining South Asia Peoples?

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼
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
Adi	adi	1	1	5 Complete Bible	1	-1	1	1	-1
Assamese	asm	11	11	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Bantawa	bap	1	1	4 New Testament	-1	-1	1	1	-1
Bengali	ben	9	9	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Boro	brx	2	2	5 Complete Bible	-1	1	1	1	-1
Brokpake	sgt	3	3	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Bumthangkha	kjz	1	1	3 Bible Portions	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Chalikha	tgf	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Chocangacakha	cgk	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Dakpakha	dka	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Dzalakha	dzl	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Dzongkha	dzo	2	2	5 Complete Bible	-1	1	1	1	-1
Garo	grt	1	0	5 Complete Bible	-1	1	1	1	-1
Gongduk	goe	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Hindi	hin	1	1	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Hruso	hru	1	1	2 Translation Started	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Khamba	kbg	1	1	2 Translation Started	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Khengkha	xkf	1	1	4 New Testament	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Kurtokha	xkz	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Kurux	kru	1	1	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Lakha	lkh	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Layakha	lya	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Lepcha	lep	1	1	4 New Testament	-1	-1	1	1	-1
Lhokpu	lhp	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Lhowa	loy	1	1	3 Bible Portions	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Lunanakha	luk	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Miji	sjl	1	1	4 New Testament	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Mundari	unr	1	0	5 Complete Bible	-1	1	1	1	-1
Nepali	npi	9	9	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Nupbikha	npb	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Nyenkha	neh	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Olekha	ole	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Rangpuri	rkt	1	1	4 New Testament	-1	1	1	-1	-1
Santhali	sat	1	1	5 Complete Bible	1	-1	1	1	-1
Sherdukpen	sdp	1	1	2 Translation Started	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Sherpa	xsr	1	1	4 New Testament	1	1	1	1	-1
Sikkimese	sip	1	1	0 Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	1	-1
Tibetan, Central	bod	2	2	5 Complete Bible	1	1	1	1	-1
Tseku	tsk	1	1	1 Translation Needed	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Tshangla	tsj	3	3	4 New Testament	-1	-1	1	1	-1
Unknown	xxx	2	1	Unspecified	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Totals:	41	75	72		9	12	17	29	0

Click column headings for sorting ▲▼
State ▲	Population	Hindu	Muslim	Christian	Buddhist	Other	% Christian Adherent *
Central	105,000	390	90	100	105,000	0	0.00 %
Eastern	207,000	11,600	3,650	360	187,000	4,510	0.00 %
Southern	109,000	9,610	2,340	570	95,800	950	0.00 %
Western	349,000	49,600	4,950	1,170	286,000	6,960	0.00 %
Country:	777,000	71,000	11,000	2,200	674,000	12,000	0.28 %

* From latest Bhutan census data. Other reputable sources suggest two to three times this many Christians in Bhutan.

Networking Possibilities

Search the Web
There are many agencies and churches looking for additional staff to help them in their mission and calling in Bhutan. 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 Bhutan
Christian ministry in Bhutan
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

Bhutan Statistics
People Groups	75
Unreached People Groups	72 (96.0%)
Population	777,000
Population Annual Growth Rate	1.1%
Population in Unreached	774,000 (99.6%)
Primary Religion	Buddhism
Percent Christian Adherent *	0.3%
Percent Evangelical	Unknown
Evangelical Annual Growth Rate	3.1%
Pioneer Workers Needed **	77
Country Progress Level	1 ●
Urbanization	41%
Continent	Asia
Region	Asia, South
10/40 Window	Yes
Country Code	BT
Official Language(s)	Dzongkha \| Nepali
Literacy Rate	67%
Estimated Illiterate Population	256,000
Persecution Ranking	34 (1=Highest) Open Doors

Bhutan Maps
Political Map (UN)
Language Map (Ethnologue)
Perry-Castaneda Map Collection

Bhutan Prayer Cards / Guide
Prayer Cards All Unreached	Prayer Guide

Bhutan Links
Operation World
Stratus Earth Index
Prosperity Index
Social Progress Index
Open Doors Persecution Ranking
World Factbook
Religious Freedom Report
UN Human Development Report
Ethnologue Language Listing

Bhutan Videos
More great prayer resources at Prayercast

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