The Ilocano of Philippines

The Ilocano of Philippines, numbering approximately 10,680,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are described as an Austronesian people of northwestern Luzon whose homeland centers on the Ilocos region and whose history is marked by migration, trade, and settlement across much of the northern Philippines while maintaining a distinct Ilocano identity They are an Indigenous people, with Ilocano as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Filipino, Central people cluster of the Malay Peoples. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Iloko is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Philippines
People Cluster: Filipino, Central
Primary Language(s): Iloko (ilo)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 10,680,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007684
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Pray for the Ilocano of Philippines

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

60%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Iloko
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Ilocano Speakers

Media Resources in Iloko:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Iloko:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Revised Ilokano Popular Version✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Iloko bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Ilocano 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 Ilocano:
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 Ilocano of Philippines

And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
readMark 14:23-24

Pray for those who may have heard the gospel but have not yet submitted their lives to Christ, that they will finally see the sacrifice which He made for them and surrender their lives to Him.

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.
readMatthew 13:8-9

Pray that they will have open hearts and minds to the Word of God, and that it will take root in their lives and bear fruit for His glory.

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
readPsalm 127:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will build their homes in the Lord and raise their children to know and honor Him.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
readPsalm 23:3

Pray for believers to go and share the gospel with others here. Ask that God will restore their souls and lead them in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Ilocano Across Countries (ROP3 - 103997) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

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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