The Libyan Arabs of Canada

The Libyan Arabs of Canada, numbering approximately 9,900 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of Bedouin Arab ancestry with a more localized ethnic identity tied to their recent roots in Libya. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Libyan Arabic is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Arab, Libyan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Canada
People Cluster: Arab, Libyan
Primary Language(s): Libyan Arabic (ayl)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 9,900
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG047409
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Libyan Arabs of Canada

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: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Libyan Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Arabic, Libyan Speakers

Media Resources in Libyan Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Libyan Arabic:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2020 Mahabat El-Rahman✓

1 entry

Or check out the Libyan Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Libyan Arabs 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 Libyan Arabs:
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 Libyan Arabs of Canada

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
readPsalm 46:10

Pray that those who do not yet worship Jesus will be still and know that He is God, that He will be exalted among them and in all the earth.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
readIsaiah 43:19

Pray that the lost will see the new thing God can do in their lives and trust in His plan and purpose for them.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
readHebrews 10:39

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, and faithfully follow God, they will share Christ boldly with those around them.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
readJohn 1:9-10

Pray for those God might send to share the gospel here. Ask that they will grow closer to Jesus and be compelled to share His good news with people who don't know it.

Arab, Libyan Across Countries (ROP3 - 105948) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

7 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsLibya2,810,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsEgypt1,080,000Engaged yet UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsTunisia317,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsItaly42,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
LibyansLibyansUnited States11,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsCanada9,900Engaged yet UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
LibyansLibyansSpain1,100Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni 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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