The Southeast Babar of Indonesia

The Southeast Babar of Indonesia, numbering approximately 5,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Austronesian people of Babar Island in Indonesia's Maluku Islands, descended from Australoid inhabitants mixed with Austronesian migrants around 1000 BC, who lived in cliff-top fortress villages until Dutch authorities forced coastal relocation. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Southeast Babar is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Indonesia
People Cluster: Maluku-Southern
Primary Language(s): Southeast Babar (vbb)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 5,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG022628
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Southeast Babar of Indonesia

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: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

55%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Southeast Babar
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Babar, Southeast Speakers

Media Resources in Southeast Babar:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Southeast Babar:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Southeast Babar bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Southeast Babar 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 Southeast Babar:
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 Southeast Babar of Indonesia

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
readRomans 5:10

Pray that any who may be enemies of God will grasp the depth of God's love demonstrated through Christ's death for the ungodly, and be reconciled to Him.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
readIsaiah 55:6

Pray that the lost will seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
read2 Corinthians 9:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God in all things, especially in times of persecution.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
readHebrews 4:12

Pray that God will make His living and active Word available to everyone in this people group so that many will respond to the gospel. Ask Him to provide Jesus-followers to walk with new believers as they grow in Him.

Babar, Southeast Across Countries (ROP3 - 100693) 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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