The Central Alaskan Yupik of United States

The Central Alaskan Yupik of United States, numbering approximately 29,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are the largest Indigenous Alaska Native people group and the largest Yupik subgroup, with a deep cultural, linguistic, and historical presence in western and southwestern Alaska. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Central Yupik is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Yupik, Central Alaskan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: North American Peoples
Country: United States
People Cluster: Arctic Peoples
Primary Language(s): Central Yupik (esu)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 29,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG043680
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Central Alaskan Yupik of United States

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

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Central Yupik
Language Family: Eskimo-Aleut

40%
%
Yupik, Central Speakers

Media Resources in Central Yupik:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Central Yupik:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Central Yupik bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Central Alaskan Yupik 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 Central Alaskan Yupik:
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 Central Alaskan Yupik of United States

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
readMatthew 5:44-45

Pray for those who don't know Jesus to encounter believers who are kind and compassionate and that their imitation of Christ will serve as a testimony that attracts lost people to Jesus.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
readIsaiah 52:7

Pray that those who don't know the good news of peace and salvation through Jesus Christ will have an opportunity to receive it. Pray that it will bring hope and healing to their souls.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot... indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
readPsalm 16:5-6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face hardship, they will remember that God is their portion and cup and that He has a beautiful inheritance for them.

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
readActs 17:29

Pray that God will send out laborers to tell people of the one true God and, as the good news is shared, bring about repentance and belief as they turn from idols and follow Jesus.

Yupik, Central Across Countries (ROP3 - 110751) 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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