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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Kisi of Tanzania

The Kisi of Tanzania, numbering approximately 37,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu people of Lake Malawi's northwestern shore in Tanzania, sustained by an Iron Age pottery tradition traded inland to the Sangu for cattle, alongside fishing and canoe ferrying, before adopting Nyakyusa as a second language around 1900. They mostly adhere to Animism and Kisi is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Tanzania
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Tanzania
Primary Language(s): Kisi (kiz)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 37,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014965
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Pray for the Kisi of Tanzania

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

54%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kisi
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

75%
%
Kisi Speakers

Media Resources in Kisi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Kisi:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Kisi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Kisi 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 Kisi:
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 Kisi of Tanzania

While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
readLuke 9:42

Pray that those who are living outside of the hope of the gospel will know and trust that Jesus offers freedom from the oppression of sin and hope in eternal life.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
readIsaiah 40:11

Pray that the lost will come to know the tender care of the Good Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.

The LORD bless you and keep you.
readNumbers 6:24

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be blessed with God's grace, trusting that He will never abandon them.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
readEphesians 6:13

Pray that God will send believers to the lost of this people group and that, as they share the gospel, they will take up the whole armor of God so that they can stand firm when trials come.

Kisi Across Countries (ROP3 - 105049) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
KisiPG014965KisiTanzania37,500Engaged yet UnreachedKisiAnimism

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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