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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Layab of Bhutan

The Layab of Bhutan, numbering approximately 1,600 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous highland people of Laya in northwestern Bhutan whose homeland lies near the Tibetan border; traditionally semi-nomadic, they have long centered their livelihood on yak and dzo herding. They mostly adhere to Tibetan Buddhism and Layakha is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Tibetan Peoples
Country: Bhutan
People Cluster: Bhutanese
Primary Language(s): Layakha (lya)
Primary Religion(s): Tibetan Buddhism
Population: 1,600
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG048800
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Pray for the Layab of Bhutan

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: Tibetan Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

100%
%
Tibetan Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Layakha
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Layakha Speakers

Media Resources in Layakha:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Layakha:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Layakha bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Layab 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 Layab:
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 Layab of Bhutan

For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.
readLuke 19:10

Pray that those who are lost will respond to the One who came to seek and save the lost, and experience the joy of being found.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 3:23

Pray that the gospel will advance and many will acknowledge that all have sinned, fall short of God's glory, and need a Savior to reconcile them to God.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.
readPsalm 75:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will give thanks to the Lord for His wondrous works and declare His goodness to all people.

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
readJeremiah 29:7

Pray that God will lead the lost among them to followers of Jesus who will share the gospel with them so that they may believe and take the message of hope to their families and friends.

Layakha Across Countries (ROP3 - 115328) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
LayabPG048800LayabBhutan1,600Engaged yet UnreachedLayakhaTibetan Buddhism

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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