The Chopan of India

The Chopan of India, numbering approximately 50,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a Kashmiri shepherding community whose name denotes their traditional role as keepers of sheep and cattle for landowning zamindars, now also engaged in agricultural and institutional labor They are an Indigenous people, with Chopan as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Kashmiri people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Kashmiri is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Kashmiri
Primary Language(s): Kashmiri (kas)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 50,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG049444

Pray for the Chopan of India

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

—
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kashmiri
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Kashmiri Speakers

Media Resources in Kashmiri:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Kashmiri:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Kashmiri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Chopan 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 Chopan:
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 Chopan of India

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
readIsaiah 59:2

Pray that those who are separated from God will turn to Him in humility and repentance, seeking His forgiveness and the restoration of a right relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
readPsalm 66:5

Pray that many here will come and see what the Creator God has done on their behalf.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
readHebrews 10:24

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will love and encourage one another, spurring each other on to live lives that honor God.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
readActs 17:32

Ask God to give those He sends to cross cultures wisdom and discernment as they engage in spiritual conversations with those who are curious about the gospel.

Chopan Across Countries (ROP3 - 118726) 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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