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The Punjabis of Sri Lanka

The Punjabis of Sri Lanka, numbering approximately 13,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic group characterized by their rich cultural heritage, agricultural prowess, and vibrant traditions, originating from the Punjab region of South Asia, currently divided between Pakistan and India. They mostly adhere to Sikhism and Panjabi is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Sri Lanka
People Cluster: Punjabi
Primary Language(s): Panjabi (pan)
Primary Religion(s): Sikhism
Population: 13,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006439

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Pray for the Punjabis of Sri Lanka

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: Sikhism
Religious Affiliation: Sikhism

50%
%
Sikhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Panjabi
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Punjabi, Eastern Speakers

Media Resources in Panjabi:

Films:
Title Link
JESUS View Film
Magdalena View Film
The Savior View Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Panjabi:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
2000 Bible League International ✓
Indian Revised Version ✓ ✓

2 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Panjabi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Punjabis 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 Punjabis:
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 Punjabis of Sri Lanka

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
readRomans 11:22

Pray that God will transform those who persist in unbelief and, in His everlasting kindness, graft them into His family.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
readJohn 3:16

Pray that the lost will seek God and learn that they have a heavenly Father who loves them and wants them to live eternally with Him.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
readColossians 4:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be wise in the way they walk with the lost and manage their time and other resources in a way that honors God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
read1 Corinthians 15:10–11

Pray that God's people will preach the message of Jesus' death and resurrection and that it will spread among the lost through the selfless witness of believers.

Punjabi, Eastern Across Countries (ROP3 - 108182) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

18 people groups

Photo People Group ID Name Country Population ▲ Strategic Progress Index Language Religion
Punjabi Sikhs PG001198 Punjabi Sikhs Bangladesh 80 Unengaged and Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG024006 Punjabis Afghanistan 9,000 Unengaged and Unreached Panjabi Sunni Islam
Punjabis PG008234 Punjabis Fiji 9,600 Unengaged and Unreached Panjabi Folk Hinduism
Punjabis PG000094 Punjabis Denmark 10,000 Unengaged and Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Sikhs PG010910 Sikhs Thailand 11,500 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG006439 Punjabis Sri Lanka 13,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG010717 Punjabis Singapore 15,000 No Longer Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Sikhs PG048144 Sikhs France 16,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG006280 Punjabis Nepal 16,500 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Folk Hinduism
Punjabis PG011805 Punjabis Kuwait 21,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sunni Islam
Sikhs PG048148 Sikhs Kenya 43,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG015024 Punjabis Tanzania 71,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Hinduism
Eastern Punjabis PG009504 Eastern Punjabis Myanmar 78,000 Unengaged and Unreached Panjabi Folk Hinduism
Punjabis PG011888 Punjabis Oman 134,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sunni Islam
Punjabis PG018234 Punjabis Malaysia 172,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Punjabis PG012249 Punjabis United Arab Emirates 334,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sunni Islam
Punjabis PG043605 Punjabis United States 606,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism
Eastern Punjabis PG000673 Eastern Punjabis United Kingdom 815,000 Engaged yet Unreached Panjabi Sikhism

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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