The Nago of Benin

The Nago of Benin, numbering approximately 450,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Yoruba subgroup of southeastern Benin also called Anago, historically tied to the Kingdom of Ketu founded by descendants of Oduduwa, whose name entered European records through Spanish and Portuguese slave-trade documentation of the Bight of Benin. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Southern Nago is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Benin
People Cluster: Yoruba
Primary Language(s): Southern Nago (nqg)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 450,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012344
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Nago of Benin

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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

66%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Southern Nago
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Nago, Southern Speakers

Media Resources in Southern Nago:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Southern Nago:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Southern Nago bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Nago 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 Nago:
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 Nago of Benin

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
readPsalm 19:1

Pray that those who are lost will look to the heavens and see the glory of God displayed, leading them to seek Him and know Him as their Creator and Savior.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
readIsaiah 40:8

Pray that everyone has access to God's Word and that those who hear the good news will turn from their sins and put their faith in Jesus the Messiah.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
readColossians 4:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be wise in the way they walk with the lost and manage their time and other resources in a way that honors God.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
readActs 1:8

Pray that God will raise up believers who are willing to cross cultures and boldly share the good news of Jesus with the lost in this people group and from every nation.

Nago Across Countries (ROP3 - 107016) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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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