Download the People Group List (16 languages .csv)

Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
Bengali - বাংলা | Chinese (Simplified) - 中文（简体）
Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
German - Deutsch | Gujarati - ગુજરાતી
Hindi - हिन्दी | Indonesian - Bahasa Indonesia
Korean - 한국어 | Nepali - नेपाली
Portugese - Português | Russian - Русский
Spanish - Espanol | Tagalong / Filipino
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The Somalis of Kenya

The Somalis of Kenya, numbering approximately 3,340,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a culturally rich and historically significant Cushitic ethnic group, known for their nomadic traditions, Sunni Muslim faith, and influential role in the Horn of Africa's socio-political landscape. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Somali is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Somali

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Horn of Africa Peoples
Country: Kenya
People Cluster: Somali
Primary Language(s): Somali (som)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 3,340,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011790
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Pray for the Somalis of Kenya

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: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Somali
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Somali Speakers

Media Resources in Somali:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Somali:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
SIM Version✓✓
Society for International Ministries, 2008✓✓

2 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Somali bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Somalis 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 Somalis:
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 Somalis of Kenya

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
readJohn 3:18

Pray for those who are living under the burden of their sin to believe in Jesus, the only Son of God, and receive freedom.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
readIsaiah 55:6

Pray that the lost will seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
readHebrews 10:24

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will love and encourage one another, spurring each other on to live lives that honor God.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
readEphesians 6:13

Pray that God will send believers to the lost of this people group and that, as they share the gospel, they will take up the whole armor of God so that they can stand firm when trials come.

Somali Across Countries (ROP3 - 109392) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

16 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
SomalisPG011954SomalisSomalia13,750,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG011644SomalisEthiopia8,320,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG011790SomalisKenya3,340,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG012292SomalisYemen1,245,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG011486SomalisDjibouti626,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG043631SomalisUnited States164,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG000683SomalisUnited Kingdom143,000Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG012254SomalisUnited Arab Emirates111,000Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG050208SomalisSweden81,000Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG011935SomalisSaudi Arabia77,500Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG015040SomalisTanzania71,000Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG047404SomalisCanada67,000Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG042708SomalisEritrea53,500Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG000434SomalisNetherlands41,000Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG000357SomalisItaly13,500Engaged yet UnreachedSomaliSunni Islam
SomalisPG012141SomalisSudan2,500Unengaged and UnreachedSomaliSunni 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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