The Burmese of Thailand

The Burmese of Thailand, numbering approximately 1,435,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic Bamar community indigenous to Myanmar. They mostly adhere to Theravada Buddhism and Burmese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Burmese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Country: Thailand
People Cluster: Burmese
Primary Language(s): Burmese (mya)
Primary Religion(s): Theravada Buddhism
Population: 1,435,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG010833
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Burmese of Thailand

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: Theravada Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

97%
%
Theravada Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Burmese
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Burmese Speakers

Media Resources in Burmese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Burmese:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Myanmar Standard Bible✓✓
သမ္မာကျမ်း (Judson Bible)✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Burmese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Burmese 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 Burmese:
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 Burmese of Thailand

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
readPsalm 20:7

Pray for those who trust in anything other than the Lord to be convicted of their sin and learn about what Jesus did for them so that they can choose to trust in Him.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
read1 John 1:5

As mobile phones, radio, and satellite television, and other technologies become more available worldwide, pray for people who are developing digital gospel resources so that others can easily access the gospel.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
readPsalm 42:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will thirst for God and be satisfied when they abide in Him.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
readIsaiah 51:11

Pray that, as God sends people to cross cultures and share the good news of Jesus, many will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith and start a personal relationship with Him that will bring them everlasting joy.

Burmese Across Countries (ROP3 - 101776) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

13 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress Index ▼LanguageReligion
BarmiBarmiIndia650No Longer UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseGermany500No Longer UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseMalaysia32,500No Longer UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseCanada5,900Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseUnited States107,000Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseAustralia14,000Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BamarBamarMyanmar29,850,000Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseThailand1,435,000Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseBangladesh527,000Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseUnited Kingdom12,500Engaged yet UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
BurmeseBurmeseMacao8,000Unengaged and UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism
MyenMyenLaos800Unengaged and UnreachedBurmeseEthnoreligion
BurmeseBurmeseCambodia5,000Unengaged and UnreachedBurmeseTheravada Buddhism

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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