The Moroccan Arabs of Italy

The Moroccan Arabs of Italy, numbering approximately 516,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Arabic-speaking people of North Africa whose culture reflects the interaction of Arab, Amazigh (Berber), Islamic, Mediterranean, Saharan, African, and Andalusian influences within the distinctive historical and social context of Morocco. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Moroccan Arabic is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Arab, Moroccan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Italy
People Cluster: Arab, Maghreb
Primary Language(s): Moroccan Arabic (ary)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 516,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG042325
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Moroccan Arabs of Italy

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

100%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Moroccan Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Arabic, Moroccan Speakers

Media Resources in Moroccan Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Moroccan Arabic:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Morocco Bible Society, 2012✓

1 entry

Or check out the Moroccan Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Moroccan Arabs 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 Moroccan Arabs:
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 Moroccan Arabs of Italy

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
readMatthew 6:16

Pray that those who live to please men and not God will turn from the emptiness of seeking approval from others and find true satisfaction in the treasure of a personal relationship with God.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
readIsaiah 1:18

Pray that God will make a way for the gospel to reach many through means they can understand and access, that they will receive the good news with joy, and that they will experience complete forgiveness and cleansing from their sin that Jesus offers through His sacrifice.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
readColossians 3:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will set their minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, as they look to Christ for guidance and strength.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
read1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Pray that God will raise up believers to go to the lost and faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection so that all may have an opportunity to access and believe.

Arab, Moroccan Across Countries (ROP3 - 106804) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

15 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsMorocco21,300,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsSpain881,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsFrance853,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsItaly516,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsWestern Sahara417,000Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsNetherlands411,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsBelgium232,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsAlgeria187,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsGermany137,000Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsUnited States122,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsCanada111,000Engaged yet UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsUnited Kingdom41,000Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsPortugal24,000Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsLibya11,500Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni Islam
Moroccan ArabsMoroccan ArabsGibraltar1,700Unengaged and UnreachedMoroccan ArabicSunni 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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