The Dagoda of Timor-Leste

The Dagoda of Timor-Leste, numbering approximately 49,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous Fataluku community of Lautém at Timor-Leste's eastern tip, centered around Lospalos, whose non-Austronesian Fataluku language belongs to the Timor-Alor-Pantar family. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Fataluku is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Dagoda

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Timor-Leste
People Cluster: Timor
Primary Language(s): Fataluku (ddg)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 49,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG023118
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Dagoda of Timor-Leste

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

86%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Fataluku
Language Family: Timor-Alor-Pantar

100%
%
Fataluku Speakers

Media Resources in Fataluku:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Fataluku:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Fataluku bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dagoda 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 Dagoda:
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 Dagoda of Timor-Leste

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
readJohn 8:32

Pray for those who live enslaved to sin to hear and receive the truth of the gospel and be set free.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
readIsaiah 30:21

As the lost in this people group seek to know the truth of who God is, pray that the Spirit of God will draw them to Himself and guide them in the way they should go.

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.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
readJames 5:16

Pray that believers whom God sends will confess their sins, pray for one another, and live in unity. Ask that they will model healthy Christian relationships for this people group.

Dagoda Across Countries (ROP3 - 102370) 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.

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.

Scroll to Top