The Riffi Imazighen of France

The Riffi Imazighen of France, numbering approximately 138,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a subgroup of the Indigenous Amazigh peoples of North Africa, united by a shared Amazigh heritage, related Tamazight languages, and a long history of adaptation across the mountains, coasts, and deserts of the Maghreb. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Tarifit is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Amazigh, Riffi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: France
People Cluster: Amazigh-Riff
Primary Language(s): Tarifit (rif)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 138,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011677
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Riffi Imazighen of France

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

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tarifit
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Tarifit Speakers

Media Resources in Tarifit:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Tarifit:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Arabic Script✓✓✓
Latin Script✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Tarifit bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Explore Lostness and Next Steps

Unengaged and Unreached

Strategic Priority Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached (SPI: 0), which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.
Lostness Priority Index (LPI): Frontier Unreached People Group, (LPI: 0), < 0.1% Evangelical.
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity (GSEC: 1), this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years

Next steps for the Riffi Imazighen:
Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Pray specifically for the Riffi Imazighen of France

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
readPsalm 19:1

Pray that those who are lost will look to the heavens and see the glory of God displayed, leading them to seek Him and know Him as their Creator and Savior.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
readHebrews 4:12

Pray for God's Word to be accessible to everyone in this people group in a way they will resonate with so that many will engage with it, receive it, and share it with others.

"And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you"...And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
readMatthew 25:38-40

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and serve others in faithfulness to Him, they will know that by serving others, they are serving Jesus, who is present with them.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
readRevelation 7:9-10

Pray that the promise in Revelation 7:9-10 will encourage believers from among them or from nearby people groups to share the gospel with people who have never learned it.

Amazigh, Riffian Across Countries (ROP3 - 101275) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Riffi ImazighenRiffi ImazighenMorocco2,285,000Engaged yet UnreachedTarifitSunni Islam
ImazighenImazighenNetherlands168,000Unengaged and UnreachedCentral Atlas TamazightSunni Islam
Riffi ImazighenRiffi ImazighenFrance138,000Unengaged and UnreachedTarifitSunni 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