Afar of Djibouti (PGID: PG011480)

The Afar of Djibouti

The Afar of Djibouti, numbering approximately 365,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Cushitic ethnic group indigenous to the Horn of Africa, living primarily in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. They speak the Afar language, an East Cushitic language within the Afroasiatic family, and are predominantly Sunni Muslim. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Afar is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Horn of Africa Peoples
Country: Djibouti
People Cluster: Afar-Saho
Primary Language(s): Afar (aar)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 365,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011480
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Pray for the Afar of Djibouti

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%

Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Afar
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

99%

Afar Speakers

Media Resources in Afar:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
Magdalena	View Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Afar:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Afar bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Afar 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 Afar:

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 Afar of Djibouti

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:1

Pray that those who are troubled and don't know about the God who saves will hear the good news and find rest in the one true God who can offer salvation for their souls.

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
Psalm 57:10

Pray that God will work, even in the hearts of hard-to-reach people, and that they will rejoice in His steadfast love and faithfulness.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
Deuteronomy 7:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will know God's faithful love and keep His commandments, experiencing His steadfast care.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 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.

Afar Across Countries (ROP3 - 102419) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

5 people groups

People Group ID	Name ▼	Country	Population	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
PG011480	Afar	Djibouti	365,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG011517	Afar	Eritrea	359,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG011536	Afar	Ethiopia	2,280,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG047244	Afar	United States	325	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam
PG047406	Afar	Canada	2,600	Unengaged and Unreached	Afar	Sunni Islam

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

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