The Khmer of France

The Khmer of France, numbering approximately 72,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Austroasiatic ethnic group indigenous to Cambodia. They mostly adhere to Theravada Buddhism and Khmer is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 3 Flash: Khmer

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Country: France
People Cluster: Mon-Khmer
Primary Language(s): Khmer (khm)
Primary Religion(s): Theravada Buddhism
Population: 72,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG000170
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Khmer of France

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: Theravada Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

88%
%
Theravada Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Khmer
Language Family: Austroasiatic

100%
%
Khmer Speakers

Media Resources in Khmer:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Khmer:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Khmer Standard Version✓✓
Old Version✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Khmer bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Khmer 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 Khmer:
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 Khmer of France

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
readRomans 1:18

Pray that God will have mercy and open the eyes of those who don't know Jesus, so that they can turn to the One who is able to save them from their sins.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
readActs 13:48-49

Pray that the gospel will spread throughout this whole region and that many will believe and embrace the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of host.
readJeremiah 15:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will find joy and delight in the Word of the Lord.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
read3 John 1:2

Ask God to grant protection and good health — both physical and spiritual — to those He sends cross-culturally to share the gospel.

Khmer Across Countries (ROP3 - 104946) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

10 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
KhmerKhmerCambodia15,840,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
Khmer KromKhmer KromVietnam1,385,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
Cambodian KhmerCambodian KhmerUnited States197,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
KhmerKhmerFrance72,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
Central KhmerCentral KhmerThailand63,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
CambodianCambodianAustralia25,500Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
KhmerKhmerCanada22,500Engaged yet UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
KhmerKhmerGermany13,000Unengaged and UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
KhmerKhmerLaos5,800Unengaged and UnreachedKhmerTheravada Buddhism
KhmerKhmerUnited Kingdom1,300Unengaged and UnreachedKhmerTheravada 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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