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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
Bengali - বাংলা | Chinese (Simplified) - 中文（简体）
Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

The Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen, numbering approximately 13,710,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are the largest Arab ethnolinguistic population in Yemen, native to the northern highlands, northeastern deserts, and the area around Ṣanʿāʾ, the capital. They are commonly referred to as Sanaani Arabs Sanaani Arabs They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Yemeni people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Shia. They primarily speak Arabic, Sanaani.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Northern Yemeni Arab

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Yemen
People Cluster: Arab, Yemeni
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Sanaani (ayn)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Shia
Population: 13,710,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012284
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Pray for the Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Shia
Religious Affiliation: Islam

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Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Arabic, Sanaani
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

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Media Resources in Arabic, Sanaani:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Arabic, Sanaani:

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Arabic, Sanaani bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni Arabs are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni 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.

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

Next steps for the Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni Arabs are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
readMark 14:23-24

Pray for those who may have heard the gospel but have not yet submitted their lives to Christ, that they will finally see the sacrifice which He made for them and surrender their lives to Him.

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
readPsalm 96:9

Pray that many who do not yet know Jesus will come to know Him and worship Him in the splendor of His holiness.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
read1 Peter 2:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will proclaim the good news and the lost will recognize their need for the Shepherd and turn to Jesus Christ in faith.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
readJohn 1:35-36

Pray for those God sends to cross cultures to share the gospel, that they might faithfully share the good news of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Arab, Northern Yemeni (ROP3 - 108627) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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