The Libyan Arabs of Egypt

The Libyan Arabs of Egypt, numbering approximately 1,080,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of Bedouin Arab ancestry with a more localized ethnic identity tied to their recent roots in Libya. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Libyan Arabic is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Arab, Libyan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Egypt
People Cluster: Arab, Libyan
Primary Language(s): Libyan Arabic (ayl)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 1,080,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011505
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Libyan Arabs of Egypt

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: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

100%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Libyan Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Arabic, Libyan Speakers

Media Resources in Libyan Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Libyan Arabic:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2020 Mahabat El-Rahman✓

1 entry

Or check out the Libyan Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Libyan Arabs 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 Libyan Arabs:
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 Libyan Arabs of Egypt

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
readPsalm 97:9

Pray that those who don't yet know Him will recognize the Lord as the Most High and turn from spiritual darkness to worship Him above all else.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
readPsalm 34:4

Pray for each who becomes a child of God to share the hope of eternity with family and friends.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
read2 Corinthians 12:10

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will embrace their weaknesses, hardships, and difficulties, having hope because Christ's power is made perfect in their weakness.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
readPsalm 96:4

Pray that God will raise up believers to declare His glory among the lost, so that they may know that He is great and greatly to be praised, that He is exalted above all gods.

Arab, Libyan Across Countries (ROP3 - 105948) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

7 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsLibya2,810,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsEgypt1,080,000Engaged yet UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsTunisia317,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsItaly42,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
LibyansLibyansUnited States11,000Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
Libyan ArabsLibyan ArabsCanada9,900Engaged yet UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam
LibyansLibyansSpain1,100Unengaged and UnreachedLibyan ArabicSunni Islam

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.

Scroll to Top