The Goans of United Arab Emirates

The Goans of United Arab Emirates, numbering approximately 74,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Indo-Portuguese, and Austro-Asiatic ethnic groups who trace their ancestry to the Indian state of Goa during the time when Goa was an overseas province of Portugal. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Goan Konkani is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Konkani, Goanese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: United Arab Emirates
People Cluster: Marathi-Konkani
Primary Language(s): Goan Konkani (gom)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 74,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012241

Pray for the Goans of United Arab Emirates

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: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

99%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Goan Konkani
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Konkani, Goan Speakers

Media Resources in Goan Konkani:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Goan Konkani:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Goan Konkani bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Goans 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 Goans:
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 Goans of United Arab Emirates

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
readPsalm 16:11

Pray that God will make a way for His path of life to be revealed to many so that they may come into His presence and experience abundant joy and eternal pleasures at His right hand.

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
readLamentations 3:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust in the goodness of the Lord as they wait on Him to answer their cries for help.

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

Praise the God who is able to make a way forward, even when it seems impossible. Ask Him to do a new thing among this people group specifically and among the nations, raising up believers to go and share the gospel with individuals and places where it has not flourished before.

Goan Across Countries (ROP3 - 104844) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

7 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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