The Manipuri of Bangladesh

The Manipuri of Bangladesh, numbering approximately 44,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are described as a tribal ethnic group indigenous to the state of Manipur in northeast India and the Sylhet District of northeastern Bangladesh They are an Indigenous people, with Manipuri as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Manipuri people cluster of the Himalayan Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism. They primarily speak Meitei.

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

Fast Facts*:

Affinity Group: Himalayan Peoples
Country: Bangladesh
People Cluster: Manipuri
Primary Language(s): Meitei (mni)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 44,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG001188
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Pray for the Manipuri of Bangladesh

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: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

85%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Meitei
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Meitei Speakers

Media Resources in Meitei:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Meitei:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2019 Bibles International

1 entry

Or check out the Meitei bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Manipuri 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.

Next steps for the Manipuri:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Manipuri of Bangladesh

For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
readPsalm 130:7b

Pray for those who are unaware of God's steadfast love that is offered to them through Jesus Christ to learn the truth and experience His plentiful redemption.

"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me."
readJohn 17:25

Pray that the lost will come to know the Father and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, and that they will be filled with His love and grace.

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.
readHebrews 10:26

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will live with reverence for God and not deliberately keep sinning after they receive the knowledge of the truth.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
readEphesians 6:12

Ask God to give those He sends to cross cultures the discernment they need to recognize the spiritual battle they are fighting. Pray God will protect their faith as they abide in Him.

Meitei, Manipuri Hindu Across Countries (ROP3 - 106268) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▼Religion
ManipuriManipuriBangladesh44,000No Longer UnreachedMeiteiHinduism
ManipuriManipuriMyanmar28,000Engaged yet UnreachedMeiteiHinduism
MeitheiMeitheiIndia1,885,000Engaged yet UnreachedMeiteiHinduism
MeitheiMeitheiUnited States150Unengaged and UnreachedMeiteiFolk Hinduism

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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