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The Gbe, Xwla of Benin

The Gbe, Xwla of Benin, numbering approximately 112,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Gbe-speaking coastal people of the Benin-Togo border strip near Grand-Popo and Aneho, tracing ancestry to Tado alongside the Fon and Ewe, whose founding of coastal towns shaped the wider Phla-Phera Gbe cluster. They mostly adhere to Animism and Western Xwla Gbe is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Benin
People Cluster: Guinean
Primary Language(s): Western Xwla Gbe (xwl)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 112,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012353
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Pray for the Gbe, Xwla of Benin

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

95%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Western Xwla Gbe
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Gbe, Western Xwla Speakers

Media Resources in Western Xwla Gbe:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Western Xwla Gbe:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Western Xwla Gbe bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Gbe, Xwla 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 Gbe, Xwla:
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 Gbe, Xwla of Benin

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
readPsalm 22:26

Pray that the lost will feel a deep hunger for God, be drawn to Him in their affliction, and find lasting satisfaction and salvation in Him alone.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
readPsalm 96:3

Pray for people to hear and believe the good news of Jesus and joyfully share it with their family and friends.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
readPsalm 130:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will wait on the Lord and have patience and trust, knowing His ways and His timing are always perfect.

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
readJeremiah 29:7

Pray that God will lead the lost among them to followers of Jesus who will share the gospel with them so that they may believe and take the message of hope to their families and friends.

Gbe, Western Xwla Across Countries (ROP3 - 109658) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Gbe, XwlaPG012353Gbe, XwlaBenin112,000Engaged yet UnreachedWestern Xwla GbeAnimism

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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