Afar of Djibouti (PGID: PG011480)

The Afar of Djibouti

The Afar of Djibouti, numbering approximately 365,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Cushitic ethnic group indigenous to the Horn of Africa, living primarily in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. They speak the Afar language, an East Cushitic language within the Afroasiatic family, and are predominantly Sunni Muslim. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Afar is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Afar

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Horn of Africa Peoples
Country: Djibouti
People Cluster: Afar-Saho
Primary Language(s): Afar (aar)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 365,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011480
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Pray for the Afar of Djibouti

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%

Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Afar
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

99%

Afar Speakers

Media Resources in Afar:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
Magdalena	View Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Afar:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Afar bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Afar are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Afar:

Continue prayer and fasting for this group

Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Afar of Djibouti

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
Psalm 22:26

Pray that the lost will feel a deep hunger for God, be drawn to Him in their affliction, and find lasting satisfaction and salvation in Him alone.

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:2

Pray that the lost will come to faith in Christ and be discipled in the truth of the gospel, becoming faithful followers of Jesus who, in turn, make disciples themselves.

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be.”
Genesis 15:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God to keep His promises.

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
Psalm 149:3

Pray that God will send His people across cultures to share the gospel so that those who don't yet know the truth about Him might praise His name and share the hope of Christ with others.

Afar Across Countries (ROP3 - 102419) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

5 people groups

People Group ID	Name	Country	Population	Strategic Progress Index ▼	Language	Religion
PG011536	Afar	Ethiopia	2,280,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG011480	Afar	Djibouti	365,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG047406	Afar	Canada	2,600	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG047244	Afar	United States	325	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG011517	Afar	Eritrea	359,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam

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

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