The Southwestern Dinka of South Sudan

The Southwestern Dinka of South Sudan, numbering approximately 1,835,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a regional cluster within the Nilotic Dinka whose transhumant cattle-keeping shapes marriage, ritual, and status more than commerce, moving herds between riverine dry-season pastures and savanna settlements each year. They mostly adhere to African Traditional Religion and Southwestern Dinka is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Dinka, Southwestern

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: South Sudan
People Cluster: Nilotic
Primary Language(s): Southwestern Dinka (dik)
Primary Religion(s): African Traditional Religion
Population: 1,835,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG012009
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Southwestern Dinka of South Sudan

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: African Traditional Religion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

80%
%
African Traditional Relig… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Southwestern Dinka
Language Family: Nilotic

90%
%
Dinka, Southwestern Speakers

Media Resources in Southwestern Dinka:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Southwestern Dinka:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2006 Bible League Intl.✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Southwestern Dinka bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Southwestern Dinka 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.

Next steps for the Southwestern Dinka:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Southwestern Dinka of South Sudan

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!
readPsalm 30:10

Pray that people in the depths of despair and suffering and living outside of relationship with Christ will cry out to the Lord and find help, peace, and joy in Him.

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
readPsalm 150:2

Pray for the gospel to advance among those who are living in darkness. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and praise Him for all that He has done.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
readRomans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
readActs 17:29

Pray that God will send out laborers to tell people of the one true God and, as the good news is shared, bring about repentance and belief as they turn from idols and follow Jesus.

Western Dinka, Rek Across Countries (ROP3 - 110778) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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

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