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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Zambezi Tonga of Zambia

The Zambezi Tonga of Zambia, numbering approximately 2,115,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Gwembe Valley people of Zambia's Southern Province forcibly displaced in 1958 by the flooding of Lake Kariba, resettled from fertile riverine farmland onto the poorer plateau above. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Tonga (Zambia) is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Zambia
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Tonga (Zambia) (toi)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 2,115,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015645
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Pray for the Zambezi Tonga of Zambia

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: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tonga (Zambia)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Tonga (Zambia) Speakers

Media Resources in Tonga (Zambia):

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Tonga (Zambia):

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1963 Bible Society of Zambia✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tonga (Zambia) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Zambezi Tonga 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 Zambezi Tonga:
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 Zambezi Tonga of Zambia

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven"
readMatthew 9:14

Pray that those who are spiritually dead will recognize their need for spiritual nourishment and turn to the One who offers true fulfillment.

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
readPsalm 47:6

Pray that believers will have a heart to invite others to trust in Christ alone so that they might sing praises to His name.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples."
readJohn 8:31

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will abide in Christ daily, depending on Him for every need.

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
read2 Corinthians 3:16

Give thanks to God for believers around the world who are willing to cross cultures to share the gospel with those who are perishing. Pray that He will work through their witness to draw many to turn to Him.

Tonga, Zambezi Across Countries (ROP3 - 111137) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Zambezi TongaPG015645Zambezi TongaZambia2,115,000Engaged yet UnreachedTonga (Zambia)Ethnoreligion
Zambezi TongaPG015687Zambezi TongaZimbabwe161,000Unengaged and UnreachedTonga (Zambia)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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