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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Wakatobi of Indonesia

The Wakatobi of Indonesia, numbering approximately 172,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Indonesia (Sulawesi). They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Tukang Besi North is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Indonesia
People Cluster: Tukangbesi of Sulawesi
Primary Language(s): Tukang Besi North (khc)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 172,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG047798

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Pray for the Wakatobi 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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

100%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tukang Besi North
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Tukang Besi North Speakers

Media Resources in Tukang Besi North:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Tukang Besi North:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tukang Besi North bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Wakatobi 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 Wakatobi:
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 Wakatobi of Indonesia

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that those who are lost and unaware of God's blessings will come to know Him as the one true God, put their trust in Him, and join in praising Him among the nations.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
readPsalm 119:105

Pray that they will receive the Word of God as a lamp to their feet and commit their ways to Him.

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.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
readPsalm 139:14

Praise God for His creativity and power, and pray that He will raise up men and women from among them who are in awe of all He has done and want to go share the hope of Christ with others.

Tukangbesi, North Across Countries (ROP3 - 110254) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
WakatobiPG047798WakatobiIndonesia172,000Engaged yet UnreachedTukang Besi NorthSunni 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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