The Bilua of Solomon Islands

The Bilua of Solomon Islands, numbering approximately 17,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Papuan-language holdout on Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands, surrounded by Austronesian-speaking neighbors, whose oral tradition holds that an earlier island population and language were displaced with help from people of nearby Bava. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Bilua is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bilua

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Pacific Islander Peoples
Country: Solomon Islands
People Cluster: Solomons
Primary Language(s): Bilua (blb)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 17,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG010738
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bilua of Solomon Islands

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: Bilua
Language Family:

100%
%
Bilua Speakers

Media Resources in Bilua:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bilua:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Bilua bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Bilua 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 Bilua:
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 Bilua of Solomon Islands

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
readMatthew 5:44-45

Pray for those who don't know Jesus to encounter believers who are kind and compassionate and that their imitation of Christ will serve as a testimony that attracts lost people to Jesus.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
readActs 16:15

Pray that God will bring entire families and households to faith in Him and raise up servant-leaders from among them.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
readActs 17:32

Ask God to give those He sends to cross cultures wisdom and discernment as they engage in spiritual conversations with those who are curious about the gospel.

Bilua Across Countries (ROP3 - 101449) 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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