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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
Bengali - বাংলা | Chinese (Simplified) - 中文（简体）
Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
German - Deutsch | Gujarati - ગુજરાતી
Hindi - हिन्दी | Indonesian - Bahasa Indonesia
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Portugese - Português | Russian - Русский
Spanish - Espanol | Tagalong / Filipino
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The Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti) of Bangladesh

The Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti) of Bangladesh, numbering approximately 7,565,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bengali people of northeastern Bangladesh whose identity is rooted in the Sylhet region, shaped by a distinct Sylheti linguistic tradition, regional culture, and historical ties to wider Bengali and global Sylheti communities. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Sylheti is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Bangladesh
People Cluster: Bengali
Primary Language(s): Sylheti (syl)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 7,565,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
People Group ID: PG001207
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Pray for the Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti) 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Sylheti
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Sylheti Speakers

Media Resources in Sylheti:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Sylheti:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2014 Edition✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Sylheti bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti) 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 Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti):
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 Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti) of Bangladesh

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
readJohn 3:17

Pray for those who are living under the burdens of man-made religion to learn about the freedom Jesus offers them and turn to Him in faith.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
readJohn 14:6

Pray that those who are searching for a way to God and desiring truth will encounter the good news of eternal life and accept it.

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
readPsalm 149:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged and feel immeasurably loved as they meditate on the fact that God takes pleasure in them.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
readJohn 1:9-10

Pray for those God might send to share the gospel here. Ask that they will grow closer to Jesus and be compelled to share His good news with people who don't know it.

Sylheti Bengali, Muslim Across Countries (ROP3 - 109660) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group ID ▼NameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti)PG001207Bengali Muslims (Sylhetti)Bangladesh7,565,000Engaged yet UnreachedSylhetiSunni 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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