The Deaf Portuguese of Portugal

The Deaf Portuguese of Portugal, numbering approximately 103,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a community of individuals who are culturally Deaf and actively participate in Deaf culture, often using sign language as their primary means of communication They are an Indigenous people, in the Deaf people cluster of the Deaf Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Christianity - Roman Catholicism. They primarily speak Portuguese Sign Language.

Deaf Portuguese in Portugal photo
Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Deaf Portuguese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Deaf Peoples
Country: Portugal
People Cluster: Deaf
Primary Language(s): Portuguese Sign Language (psr)
Primary Religion(s): Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Population: 103,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG000495
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Deaf Portuguese of Portugal

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: Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

%
Christianity - Roman Cath… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Portuguese Sign Language
Language Family: Sign Language

%
Portuguese Sign Language Speakers

Media Resources in Portuguese Sign Language:

Films:

No entries found for: Portuguese Sign Language(psr). Help build some!

Bible Resources in Portuguese Sign Language:

Or check out the Portuguese Sign Language bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Deaf Portuguese

The Deaf Portuguese are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Deaf Portuguese

The Deaf Portuguese 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.

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

Next steps for the Deaf Portuguese

The Deaf Portuguese are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Deaf Portuguese of Portugal

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!
readPsalm 30:10

Pray that people in the depths of despair and suffering and living outside of relationship with Christ will cry out to the Lord and find help, peace, and joy in Him.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost will look to Jesus lifted up on the cross and believe in Him, gaining eternal life with God.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
readMatthew 18:20

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged as they remember that Jesus is with them when they gather in His name.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.
readPsalm 15:1-2

Ask God to send believers who will go and, with integrity, walk blamelessly and do what is right, speaking truth about the Lord with those who need to learn about His redemption plan.

Deaf Portuguese (ROP3 - 116561) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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