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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Luba-Hemba of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Luba-Hemba of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 411,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Democratic Republic of the Congo. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Hemba is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Luba-Hemba

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Luba
Primary Language(s): Hemba (hem)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 411,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014631
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Pray for the Luba-Hemba of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

58%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Hemba
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Hemba Speakers

Media Resources in Hemba:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Hemba:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Hemba bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Luba-Hemba 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 Luba-Hemba:
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 Luba-Hemba of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 8:1

Pray that God will reassure those who may be struggling with the cost of following Jesus that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.
readMatthew 4:16

Pray that those who dwell in darkness and live in the land of the shadow of death may be drawn out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
readMatthew 18:19

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they find other believers to pray with, and that they will trust God to answer their requests according to His will.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
readRevelation 7:9-10

Pray that the promise in Revelation 7:9-10 will encourage believers from among them or from nearby people groups to share the gospel with people who have never learned it.

Luba-Hemba Across Countries (ROP3 - 105898) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Luba-HembaPG014631Luba-HembaCongo, Democratic Republic of the411,000Engaged yet UnreachedHembaRoman Catholicism

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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