The Kyrgyz of Uzbekistan

The Kyrgyz of Uzbekistan, numbering approximately 315,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan and can also be known as Kirghiz, Kirgiz, Kyrgyz. They are an Diaspora people, in the Kyrgyz people cluster of the Turkic Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Sunni. They primarily speak Kyrgyz.

Kyrgyz in Uzbekistan photo
Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kyrgyz

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Central Asian Peoples
Country: Uzbekistan
People Cluster: Kyrgyz
Primary Language(s): Kyrgyz (kir)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Sunni
Population: 315,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024682

Pray for the Kyrgyz of Uzbekistan

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: Islam - Sunni
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Sunni Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kyrgyz
Language Family: Turkic

%
Kyrgyz Speakers

Bible Resources in Kyrgyz:

Or check out the Kyrgyz bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Kyrgyz

The Kyrgyz are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Kyrgyz

The Kyrgyz 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.

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

Next steps for the Kyrgyz

The Kyrgyz 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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Kyrgyz of Uzbekistan

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
readPsalm 51:1

Give thanks to God that He is able to forgive all the sins people might commit, and pray that many who don't yet know this will hear the good news and turn to Him for mercy.

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
readIsaiah 55:5

Pray that those who do not know God will access the gospel, run to Him, and discover that He is the one their souls have been longing for.

But Jesus called them to him, saying "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
readLuke 18:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have a burden to share the hope of Christ with children.

"For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
readActs 17:23

Pray that believers God sends to cross cultures will be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the people they serve, and will proclaim the truth of Christ to them in creative ways that they will understand.

Kyrgyz (ROP3 - 105550) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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