The Bedouin Arabs of Saudi Arabia

The Bedouin Arabs of Saudi Arabia, numbering approximately 1,445,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Arabic-speaking tribal people of the Middle East and North Africa, historically organized around pastoralism, seasonal mobility, and patrilineal kinship. Tribal identity and pastoral heritage remain important cultural markers. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Najdi Arabic is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Saudi Arabia
People Cluster: Bedouin, Arabian
Primary Language(s): Najdi Arabic (ars)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 1,445,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011914
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bedouin Arabs of Saudi Arabia

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: Najdi Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

100%
%
Arabic, Najdi Speakers

Media Resources in Najdi Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
The SaviorView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Najdi Arabic:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Najdi Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bedouin 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 Bedouin 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 Bedouin Arabs of Saudi Arabia

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
readRomans 1:18

Pray that God will have mercy and open the eyes of those who don't know Jesus, so that they can turn to the One who is able to save them from their sins.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
readPsalm 96:7

Pray that entire households will come to faith in Jesus and that God will bless their families with faith in Him for generations to come.

But you said, "I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
readGenesis 32:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will experience God's presence and protection even in difficult circumstances, knowing that He will make them fruitful.

And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."
readRomans 15:20-21

Pray that God will send believers to cross cultures and proclaim the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that the nations might glorify God for His mercy.

Arab, Bedouin Across Countries (ROP3 - 101193) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Bedouin ArabsBedouin ArabsJordan1,370,000Unengaged and UnreachedNajdi ArabicSunni Islam
Bedouin ArabsBedouin ArabsSaudi Arabia1,445,000Engaged yet UnreachedNajdi ArabicSunni Islam
Saudi ArabsSaudi ArabsSyria1,495,000Unengaged and UnreachedNajdi ArabicSunni Islam
Saudi ArabsSaudi ArabsIraq2,005,000Unengaged and UnreachedNajdi 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.

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