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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Guaymi of Costa Rica

The Guaymi of Costa Rica, numbering approximately 4,900 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Ngabe people who migrated from Panama's Ngobe-Bugle Comarca into southwestern Costa Rica beginning in the 1960s, descended from tribes once led by chiefs like the famed Urraca, who repeatedly defeated the Spanish before forcing a peace treaty in 1522. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Ngäbere is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Guaymi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Costa Rica
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Ngäbere (gym)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 4,900
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG024976
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Pray for the Guaymi of Costa Rica

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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Ngäbere
Language Family: Chibchan

75%
%
Ngäbere Speakers

Media Resources in Ngäbere:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Ngäbere:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2004 Wycliffe Bible Translators Inc.✓✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Ngäbere bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Guaymi 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.

Next steps for the Guaymi:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Guaymi of Costa Rica

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
readPsalm 51:17

Pray that those who want to achieve salvation through their works will be unsettled in their pursuit and that, with a broken spirit and contrite heart, they will trust in Christ.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
readPsalm 16:11

Pray that God will make a way for His path of life to be revealed to many so that they may come into His presence and experience abundant joy and eternal pleasures at His right hand.

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
readMatthew 25:36

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will honor Jesus and find joy as they take care of those in need.

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
readLuke 10:3

Ask God to raise up and send humble believers who will depend on Him as they go out like lambs among wolves to share the good news with those who need to hear it.

Guaymi Across Countries (ROP3 - 103515) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountry ▲PopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
GuaymiPG024976GuaymiCosta Rica4,900No Longer UnreachedNgäbereEthnoreligion
GuaymiPG024830GuaymiPanama257,000No Longer UnreachedNgäbereEthnoreligion

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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