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The Lao Phuan of Thailand

The Lao Phuan of Thailand, numbering approximately 211,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Tai people of Thailand descended from Phuan communities of the Xiangkhouang Plateau in Laos, many forcibly resettled into Siam during late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century wars. They mostly adhere to Theravada Buddhism and Phuan is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Country: Thailand
People Cluster: Tai
Primary Language(s): Phuan (phu)
Primary Religion(s): Theravada Buddhism
Population: 211,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG010882
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Pray for the Lao Phuan 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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Theravada Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

96%
%
Theravada Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Phuan
Language Family: Tai-Kadai

100%
%
Phuan Speakers

Media Resources in Phuan:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Phuan:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Phuan bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Lao Phuan 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 Lao Phuan:
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 Lao Phuan of Thailand

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
readRomans 5:10

Pray that God will remove obstacles to the gospel so that many will see the hope He offers through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, and be transformed from being enemies to being His friends.

For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
readPsalm 47:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will exalt the Lord, recognizing His reign over the nations and His sovereignty over all things.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
readJohn 1:12

Pray that believers will have the opportunity to clearly share the good news with the lost here, so that all people can be invited to trust in Jesus and become children of God.

Phuan Across Countries (ROP3 - 108011) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▼Religion
Lao PhuanPG010882Lao PhuanThailand211,000Engaged yet UnreachedPhuanTheravada Buddhism
PhuanPG020932PhuanLaos175,000Engaged yet UnreachedPhuanTheravada 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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