The Kyrgyz of Tajikistan

The Kyrgyz of Tajikistan, numbering approximately 136,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to Central Asia, primarily associated with Kyrgyzstan, but also found in neighboring countries They are an Diaspora people, with Kyrgyz as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Kyrgyz people cluster of the Turkic Peoples. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Kirghiz is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Kyrgyz

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Turkic Peoples
Country: Tajikistan
People Cluster: Kyrgyz
Primary Language(s): Kirghiz (kir)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 136,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024509
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Pray for the Kyrgyz of Tajikistan

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: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

92%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kirghiz
Language Family: Turkic

100%
%
Kyrgyz Speakers

Media Resources in Kirghiz:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Kirghiz:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2005 Bible Society in Kazakhstan✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Kirghiz bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Kyrgyz 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 Kyrgyz:
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 Kyrgyz of Tajikistan

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
readIsaiah 48:11

Pray that those who have been living for their own glory will turn to the One who is worthy of all praise and find their true identity in Him.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
readEphesians 2:4-5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember God's mercy and grace and experience joy as they walk in new life with Christ.

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.

Kyrgyz Across Countries (ROP3 - 105550) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

10 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
KyrgyzKyrgyzKyrgyzstan6,080,000Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzUzbekistan321,000Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzChina197,000Unengaged and UnreachedKirghizFolk Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzTajikistan136,000Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzUnited States30,000Unengaged and UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzKazakhstan14,500Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizFolk Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzGermany14,000Unengaged and UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzTurkiye1,800Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzAfghanistan1,300Engaged yet UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam
KyrgyzKyrgyzCanada1,100Unengaged and UnreachedKirghizSunni Islam

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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