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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Ambonese of Netherlands

The Ambonese of Netherlands, numbering approximately 51,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a community from Ambon Island and nearby islands in the Central Moluccas (Maluku) in eastern Indonesia, a distinct post‑colonial community whose presence in the Netherlands stems directly from the collapse of Dutch rule in Indonesia after World War II. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Ambonese Malay is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Ambonese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Netherlands
People Cluster: Maluku-Central
Primary Language(s): Ambonese Malay (abs)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 51,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG000389
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Pray for the Ambonese of Netherlands

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

—
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Ambonese Malay
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Malay, Ambonese Speakers

Media Resources in Ambonese Malay:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Ambonese Malay:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Ambonese Malay bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Ambonese are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Ambonese:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Ambonese of Netherlands

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that those who are lost and unaware of God's blessings will come to know Him as the one true God, put their trust in Him, and join in praising Him among the nations.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
readPsalm 1:1-2

Pray that God will call out many sons and daughters from among them and give them a deep love for His Word.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
readJohn 10:27

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will hear God's voice and will have the great assurance that no one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
readJeremiah 29:7

Pray that God will lead the lost among them to followers of Jesus who will share the gospel with them so that they may believe and take the message of hope to their families and friends.

Ambonese Across Countries (ROP3 - 100274) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountry ▼PopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
AmbonesePG000389AmboneseNetherlands51,500No Longer UnreachedAmbonese MalaySunni Islam
AmbonesePG022625AmboneseIndonesia329,000No Longer UnreachedAmbonese MalayProtestantism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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