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The Balanta of Cabo Verde

The Balanta of Cabo Verde, numbering approximately 58,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a diaspora language-variety subgroup of the Balanta of Guinea-Bissau associated with the Kentohe variety of Balanta. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Balanta-Kentohe is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Cabo Verde
People Cluster: Atlantic
Primary Language(s): Balanta-Kentohe (ble)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 58,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG012819
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Pray for the Balanta of Cabo Verde

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

96%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Balanta-Kentohe
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Balanta Speakers

Media Resources in Balanta-Kentohe:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Balanta-Kentohe:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Balanta-Kentohe bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Balanta 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.

Next steps for the Balanta:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Balanta of Cabo Verde

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
readProverbs 30:5

Pray that those who don't yet know God will trust the flawless Word of God and seek refuge in Him, finding hope and salvation instead of remaining in spiritual darkness.

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
readPsalm 66:5

Pray that many here will come and see what the Creator God has done on their behalf.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:10-11

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will grow strong in His power, putting on the full armor of God, which will enable them to stand against the devil’s lies.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
readPsalm 96:4

Pray that God will raise up believers to declare His glory among the lost, so that they may know that He is great and greatly to be praised, that He is exalted above all gods.

Balanta, Kentohe Across Countries (ROP3 - 111208) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
BalantaPG013444BalantaGuinea-Bissau552,000Engaged yet UnreachedBalanta-KentoheAnimism
BalantaPG012819BalantaCabo Verde58,500No Longer UnreachedBalanta-KentoheRoman Catholicism
Bissau-GuineansPG047464Bissau-GuineansCanada90Engaged yet UnreachedBalanta-KentoheEthnoreligion

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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