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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Saudi Shia Arabs of Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Shia Arabs of Saudi Arabia, numbering approximately 2,830,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of Saudi Arabia. They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Arabian people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Shia Islam. They primarily speak Arabic, Gulf.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Saudi Arabia
People Cluster: Arab, Arabian
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Gulf (afb)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 2,830,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011922

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Pray for the Saudi Shia Arabs of Saudi Arabia

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Arabic, Gulf
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

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Media Resources in Arabic, Gulf:

Films:

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Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Arabic, Gulf:

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Arabic, Gulf bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Saudi Shia Arabs

The Saudi Shia Arabs are Unengaged and Unreached, 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.

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

Next steps for the Saudi Shia Arabs

The Saudi Shia 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.

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

Next steps for the Saudi Shia Arabs

The Saudi Shia Arabs are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Saudi Shia Arabs of Saudi Arabia

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
readIsaiah 59:2

Pray that those who are separated from God will turn to Him in humility and repentance, seeking His forgiveness and the restoration of a right relationship with their Heavenly Father.

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
readMalachi 1:11

Pray that they will worship God in spirit and truth, offering Him the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving that He desires.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
readRomans 5:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will rejoice in the hope of glory and be in awe of God's mercy that gives them access to Him through faith.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
readJohn 7:38

Ask God to raise up believers and sustain them as they cross cultures to share hope with those who need it. Pray that many might come to know Christ and that streams of living water will flow from their hearts so they will never thirst again.

Arab, Gulf Shia (ROP3 - 116092) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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