The Persians of Iran

The Persians of Iran, numbering approximately 29,440,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a complex Iranian community shaped by a rich history, multifaceted blend of ancient traditions, cultural heritage, modern influences, Islamic values, and a strong sense of national pride and resilience They are an Indigenous people, with Persian as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Persian people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Shia Islam. They primarily speak Persian, Iranian.

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

Fast Facts*:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Iran
People Cluster: Persian
Primary Language(s): Persian, Iranian (pes)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 29,440,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024197
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Persians of Iran

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: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

95%
%
Shia Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Persian, Iranian
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Persian, Iranian Speakers

Media Resources in Persian, Iranian:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Persian, Iranian:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
New Millenium Version 2009
New Millenium Version 2014
Today's Persian Version

3 entries

Or check out the Persian, Iranian bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Persians 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 Persians:
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 Persians of Iran

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or?rulers?or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
readColossians 1:16

Pray for those who are lost among them, that they will come to know the One who created all things and holds all things together.

...I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
readPsalm 13:5

Ask God to bring many to trust in His unfailing love and cause their hearts to rejoice in His salvation.

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
readPsalm 105:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and may feel weak in their current circumstances, they will seek the Lord's presence and persevere in the Lord's strength.

And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
readMark 5:20

Pray that God will bring people who appear beyond hope to faith in Jesus and that they will then go and tell others of the marvelous things He has done.

Persian Across Countries (ROP3 - 107987) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

30 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion ▼
PersiansPersiansAfghanistan117,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansIndonesia8,000No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansSouth Korea3,500No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansArmenia7,900No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansMalaysia20,500Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansGreece2,400No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansCanada201,000No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansUnited States466,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansBelgium12,500Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansFrance65,500Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansItaly11,500Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansTurkiye130,000No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansUzbekistan34,500Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansIran29,440,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansAzerbaijan1,400Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansAustria15,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansNetherlands36,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansAustralia84,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansUnited Arab Emirates570,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansSyria10,000Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansQatar276,000Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansOman16,000Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansKuwait50,000Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansIraq511,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansBahrain225,000Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansNew Zealand7,400Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansPakistan13,000Unengaged and UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansUnited Kingdom86,000No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansGermany175,000No Longer UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam
PersiansPersiansDenmark15,500Engaged yet UnreachedPersian, IranianShia Islam

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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