The Kham Tibetans of China

The Kham Tibetans of China, numbering approximately 2,525,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic subgroup of Tibetans indigenous to the Kham region encompassing parts of the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai, and eastern Tibet. Bodpa They are an Indigenous people, in the Tibetan people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Buddhism - Tibetan. They primarily speak Tibetan, Khams.

Kham Tibetans in Bhutan photo
Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Tibetan, Kham

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
Country: China
People Cluster: Tibetan
Primary Language(s): Tibetan, Khams (khg)
Primary Religion(s): Buddhism - Tibetan
Population: 2,525,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG007224
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Pray for the Kham Tibetans of China

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: Buddhism - Tibetan
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

%
Buddhism - Tibetan Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tibetan, Khams
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

%
Tibetan, Khams Speakers

Media Resources in Tibetan, Khams:

Films:

Bible Resources in Tibetan, Khams:

Or check out the Tibetan, Khams bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Kham Tibetans

The Kham Tibetans 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 Kham Tibetans

The Kham Tibetans 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 Kham Tibetans

The Kham Tibetans 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 Kham Tibetans of China

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
readPsalm 130:4

Pray that God will bring those who have hard hearts to repentance and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise).
readEphesians 6:1-2

Pray that God will bring young men and women to faith in Jesus and that the fruit of their faith will be a powerful testimony as they honor their parents.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
readPsalm 119:105

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will meditate daily on the Word of God so that, through it, they might have wisdom for the big and small decisions they face every day.

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
read2 Corinthians 3:16

Give thanks to God for believers around the world who are willing to cross cultures to share the gospel with those who are perishing. Pray that He will work through their witness to draw many to turn to Him.

Khampa, Eastern (ROP3 - 114136) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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