The Yaruro of Venezuela

The Yaruro of Venezuela, numbering approximately 8,100 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Llanos people of western Venezuela's Apure region, properly called Pume, speaking a language isolate along the Capanaparo, Cinaruco, and Apure rivers, resettled near the Colombian border in 1980 and displaced again by armed-group violence in 2024. They mostly adhere to Animism and Pumé is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Venezuela
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Pumé (yae)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 8,100
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG016509
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Yaruro of Venezuela

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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

90%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Pumé
Language Family:

83%
%
Pumé Speakers

Media Resources in Pumé:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Pumé:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Pumé bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Yaruro 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 Yaruro:
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 Yaruro of Venezuela

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
readMatthew 5:16

Pray that those who are deceived about what brings peace will not settle for any lies they’ve heard about God and will diligently seek Him and be satisfied when they learn the truth about who He is and what He’s done.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, "the kingdom of God has come near to you."
readLuke 10:8-9

Pray that the lost will receive messengers of the gospel with joy, turn from their sins, and be healed.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.
readPsalm 75:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will give thanks to the Lord for His wondrous works and declare His goodness to all people.

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.

Yaruro Across Countries (ROP3 - 110992) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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