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The Punjabis of United Arab Emirates

The Punjabis of United Arab Emirates, numbering approximately 334,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic group characterized by their rich cultural heritage, agricultural prowess, and vibrant traditions, originating from the Punjab region of South Asia, currently divided between Pakistan and India. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Panjabi is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Punjabi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: United Arab Emirates
People Cluster: Punjabi
Primary Language(s): Panjabi (pan)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 334,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012249
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Pray for the Punjabis 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

55%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Panjabi
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Punjabi, Eastern Speakers

Media Resources in Panjabi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Panjabi:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2000 Bible League International✓
Indian Revised Version✓✓

2 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Panjabi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Punjabis 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 Punjabis:
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 Punjabis 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.

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
readIsaiah 55:5

Pray that those who do not know God will access the gospel, run to Him, and discover that He is the one their souls have been longing for.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
readRevelation 21:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and walk through challenges, they will find comfort in God's promise of a beautiful future when there is no pain or suffering for those who belong to Christ.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sends me, even so I am sending you."
readJohn 20:21

Ask God to raise up and send out believers cross-culturally who will go out in His authority and be sustained by His peace as they share the gospel with the lost.

Punjabi, Eastern Across Countries (ROP3 - 108182) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

18 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Eastern PunjabisPG000673Eastern PunjabisUnited Kingdom815,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG043605PunjabisUnited States606,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG012249PunjabisUnited Arab Emirates334,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSunni Islam
PunjabisPG018234PunjabisMalaysia172,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG011888PunjabisOman134,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSunni Islam
Eastern PunjabisPG009504Eastern PunjabisMyanmar78,000Unengaged and UnreachedPanjabiFolk Hinduism
PunjabisPG015024PunjabisTanzania71,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiHinduism
SikhsPG048148SikhsKenya42,500Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG011805PunjabisKuwait21,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSunni Islam
PunjabisPG006280PunjabisNepal16,500Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiFolk Hinduism
SikhsPG048144SikhsFrance16,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG010717PunjabisSingapore15,000No Longer UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG006439PunjabisSri Lanka13,000Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
SikhsPG010910SikhsThailand11,500Engaged yet UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG000094PunjabisDenmark10,000Unengaged and UnreachedPanjabiSikhism
PunjabisPG008234PunjabisFiji9,600Unengaged and UnreachedPanjabiFolk Hinduism
PunjabisPG024006PunjabisAfghanistan9,000Unengaged and UnreachedPanjabiSunni Islam
Punjabi SikhsPG001198Punjabi SikhsBangladesh80Unengaged and UnreachedPanjabiSikhism

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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