The Paiwanese of Taiwan

The Paiwanese of Taiwan, numbering approximately 118,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are Taiwan's second-largest Indigenous people, settled across the southern Central Mountain Range from Damumu to the Hengchun Peninsula, practicing first-child inheritance regardless of gender alongside a distinctive five-year ritual. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Paiwan is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: Taiwan
People Cluster: Taiwan Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Paiwan (pwn)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 118,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007530
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Paiwanese of Taiwan

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: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Paiwan
Language Family: Austronesian

60%
%
Paiwan Speakers

Media Resources in Paiwan:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Paiwan:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Paiwan bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Paiwanese 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 Paiwanese:
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 Paiwanese of Taiwan

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!
readPsalm 22:26

Pray that the lost will feel a deep hunger for God, be drawn to Him in their affliction, and find lasting satisfaction and salvation in Him alone.

And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
readZechariah 2:11

Pray that many will take refuge in the Lord and be His people who share the good news of salvation in Jesus with others.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
readDeuteronomy 6:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and might, as they strive to live lives that honor and glorify Him.

"For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
readActs 17:23

Pray that believers God sends to cross cultures will be sensitive to the spiritual needs of the people they serve, and will proclaim the truth of Christ to them in creative ways that they will understand.

Paiwan Across Countries (ROP3 - 107762) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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

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