Learn About Unreached People Groups in Euro-Asia

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Pray for the Unreached People Groups of Euro-Asia

Not everyone who lives in Russia is Russian, and not everyone who lives in Kazakhstan is Kazakh. In fact, the Euro-Asia region is home to countless ethnic groups, cultures, and languages. Obviously, Russian-language Bibles and preachers have little to offer to the millions of citizens who speak Tajik or Yakut or Bashkir.

The term “people groups” refers to population segments that share common languages, cultures, ethnicities, or other attributes. Christian evangelists often evaluate people group data in order to identify populations that have been neglected by traditional mission work. In Euro-Asia, the majority of Seventh-day Adventists (and Christians in general) have Slavic backgrounds, such as Russian or Ukrainian. Many other groups have been mostly untouched by Adventist outreach, including the Buddhist Kalmyks of southern Russia, the Muslim Turkmen of Turkmenistan, and the shamanistic native groups of Siberia.

Because religion was largely forbidden during Soviet times, many Orthodox Christians and Muslims are only nominal followers of their traditional faiths. Others are strongly atheistic, and still others are simply indifferent to religion. For Christian evangelists, this secular segment of society is one of the largest least-reached people groups of Euro-Asia.

Please join us in praying for the unreached people of Euro-Asia. Every human must choose for themselves what to believe, and only the Holy Spirit can truly reach a seeking heart. Still, we pray for wisdom to make the gospel message available and relevant to the diverse cultures of the former Soviet Union.

Want to know more about the fascinating people of Euro-Asia? Here is a short summary of the largest groups who remain the least touched by Christian missions:

Avar
The Avar people include dozens of loosely related people groups living in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia or in Azerbaijan. Because they often live in isolated mountain areas, their varied dialects are sometimes mutually incomprehensible. Most are Muslims.

Azerbaijani
This is a large Turkic group living in Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and other areas. Many are extremely poor, but a few are wealthy due to Caspian oil fields. Most are Shiite Muslims.

Baluch, Western
An Indo-Iranian group living mainly in Pakistan but also in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Most are Muslims and work as farmers or cattle breeders.

Bashkir
Considered the world’s northernmost Muslim people, the Bashkir live mainly in Russia between the Volga River and Ural Mountains. Many are closely associated with the Tatar people. Known as skilled horsemen. Many Bashkir are secular or nominal Muslims.

Buryat
A Mongol people living in Siberia, China, and Mongolia. Those in Russia tend to be marginal members of the Orthodox Church, while those in Mongolia and Chinaare Tibetan Buddhists. Most are also involved with shamanism. They are skilled horse and cattle farmers.

Bukhara Jew
A Jewish group from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, although thousands have emigrated to the U.S. They say they are descendents of Jews taken captive by Babylonians. They have Asian features due to attacks and rapes by the army of the Kublai Khan in the 1200s.

Chechen
A Eurasian group living in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia. They have struggled to gain independence for more than 150 years. They are Sunni Muslims, and many also practice Sufi mysticism.

Circassian (or Adyghe)
A Eurasian group living in the North Caucasus area of Russia and throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. Most follow an animistic form of Sunni Islam. Many of those who live in the Middle East have become quite prosperous.

Darghinian
A Eurasian group living in the North Caucasus region of Russia. They are actually made up of several distinct people groups who reside in the rugged mountains. Their Muslim faith is influenced by occult and animism.

Dungan
A Chinese-Hui group that follows Islam. They were driven out of China more than 100 years ago and are now found in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Many work as vegetable and rice farmers.

Ingush
A Eurasian group living in the North Caucasus Mountains of Russia and in Kazakhstan. They are among the original inhabitants of the region. The Muslim Ingush often clash with the nearby Ossetian peoples, who are largely Orthodox Christian.

Jat
An Indo-Iranian group found mostly in India and Pakistan, but some also live in Russia and nearby countries. They may be Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, or secular, depending largely on where they live.

Jewish
Many Jews have left Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus and resettled in Israel or the U.S. Those that remain in Euro-Asia are often secular and sometimes do not identify themselves as Jews. Jewish culture remains active in several large cities, such as Kiev, Ukraine.

Kalmyk
A Buddhist group whose ancestors came to Russia from northwestern China in the 17th century. They have recently developed Europe’s largest traditional Buddhist center. Their semi-autonomous republic, located north of the Caspian Sea, is extremely poor and life expectancy is low.

Karachay-Balkar
The Karachay and Balkar are closely related Turkic groups living in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Most are secular or nominal Muslims. Many retain a nomadic lifestyle.

Karakalpak
Large group of Turkic people living in a semi-autonomous area of Uzbekistan and in several other Central Asian nations. Most are Sunni Muslim or secular. Ecology of their homeland has been largely ruined by heavy irrigation and pesticides used in cotton farming.

Kazakh
Large group of Turkic people found in Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and other Central Asian nations. Traditionally sheepherders. Most are secular or Sunni Muslim. The countryside of Kazakhstan suffers from high levels of radiation due to Soviet-era nuclear testing.

Komi
A Eurasian group living in northern areas of Siberia. Many work as fishermen or hunters. Most follow a nominal form of Russian Orthodoxy mixed with elements of shamanism.

Korean
An Asian nationality with a significant population in Kazakhstan and the Russian Far East. Resourceful farmers and business people. Traditional religions are Buddhism and Confucianism, though the new generation is not very religious.

Kumyk
A Turkic group living in the Russian republic of Dagestan near the Caspian Sea. Most are Sunni Muslims, though not all are devout. Most work as farmers.

Kurd, Northern (or Kurmanji, Kermanji, etc.)
A Muslim group with large populations in Iraq, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Germany, and other countries. Kurds in the country of Georgia are often known as the Zaza. Kurds are often said to be the largest ethnic group on earth without a government of their own. Many live as refugees.

Kyrgyz
A Turkic people native to the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. Many are secular, but they are traditionally Muslims with a strong tendency toward animism. Many Kyrgyz tend livestock on the high-altitude plains of their small country.

Lak (Laki, Kumux)
A Eurasian people group living in the Caucasus region of southern Russia and in Azerbaijan. The majority are Sunni Muslim. Most are farmers or cattle breeders.

Lezgin (Lezghi)
Large group of related peoples living in southern Russia and northern Azerbaijan. Most are Sunni Muslim, while a few are Shiite. Young people who move to cities are often secular.

Meskhetian Turk
A Turkic people with roots in the country of Georgia. Soviet resettlement forced many to scatter in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and other areas. Most are Muslims.

Parsee
An Indo-Aryan group originating in Iran and now scattered widely in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the UK, and the U.S. Many are secular, while some follow their traditional religion of Zoroastrianism.

Persian
An Iranian group living in several parts of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. Their dominant religion is Shiite Islam.

Tajik
A large Indo-Iranian group living mainly in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, with significant populations also in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian nations.Most are Sunni Muslims. They suffered greatly during the Soviet-Afghan war and again in the 1990s when civil war broke out in Tajikistan.

Tatar
A large Turkic group that has lived in Russia and surrounding nations for 800 years or more. Now found in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and other parts of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Most are secular or Muslim. Some are Orthodox or evangelical Christian.

Turk
The vast majority of Turks live in their native Turkey, but some have remained in Central Asia for centuries. Usually they are Muslim. Many Turks in former Soviet countries work as merchants in urban areas.

Turkmen
A Turkic group living in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and other parts of Central Asia. Most are nomadic herders or farmers. Usually Sunni Muslims, but many are also involved in mysticism. Religious freedom in Turkmenistan is extremely limited for non-Muslims.

Tuvin
An East Asian people group living largely in Russia near the Mongolian border. Traditionally shamanists who adopted Buddhism from Tibetans in the 18th century.Famous for their unique Tuvin throat-singing, in which they can produce two separate sounds at once.

Udmurt
Large people group living in small Russian region called Udmurtia. They were once exposed to Christianity by Russian Orthodox priests, but most are now atheistic or practice an animistic religion.

Uighur
A large Turkic group living largely in the Xinjiang region of China, but also in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and other nations. Most are nominal Muslims or secular.

Uzbek
A large Turkic group that is native to Uzbekistan. Significant numbers of Uzbeks are found throughout Central Asia and Russia. Most are Sunni Muslims. TheUzbekistan government is notably secular, and both Muslims and Christians face restrictions on public activities.

Yakut speakers
This group, also known as the Sakha, is one of the original people groups of Siberia. About 95 percent are literate in their native language, and they are considered more developed than many other aboriginal groups in Siberia. Some are atheists, some animists, and many are nominal Orthodox Christians due to contact with Russians.