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The Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 1,510,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a matrilineal people of southwestern DRC related to the Suku, whose 16th-century kingdom invaded Kongo from the Lunda Plateau before subservience under the 1620 Lunda expansion, regaining independence after the Lunda-Chokwe empire's collapse. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) (yaf)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 1,510,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG014746
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Pray for the Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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

78%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Yaka (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Speakers

Media Resources in Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo):

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo):

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: No longer Unreached

The Yaka 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 Yaka:
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 Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
readRomans 1:20

As God's creation declares His glory, pray that multitudes who don't know Him will see the works of His hands and desire to know more about the Creator.

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
readPsalm 104:24

Pray that they will see the wisdom and power of God in His creation and praise Him for His mighty works.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
read1 Corinthians 9:19

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have hearts that want to serve the lost around them so that many might come to faith in Jesus.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
readPsalm 67:1-2

Pray that as God blesses believers from among this people group or from nearby cultures, He will raise them up to share His saving power among the nations.

Yaka Across Countries (ROP3 - 110931) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
YakaPG014746YakaCongo, Democratic Republic of the1,510,000No Longer UnreachedYaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)Roman Catholicism
YakaPG015208YakaAngola312,000No Longer UnreachedYaka (Congo)Ethnoreligion

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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