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

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
readColossians 3:5-6

Pray for God to have mercy and give those who don't yet know Him the gift of Jesus and His salvation for all who call upon His name.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
readJohn 6:35

Pray that the lost will come to Jesus and believe in Him, never to hunger or thirst again.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
readPhilippians 3:20-21

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember their citizenship is in heaven.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sends me, even so I am sending you."
readJohn 20:21

Ask God to raise up and send out believers cross-culturally who will go out in His authority and be sustained by His peace as they share the gospel with the lost.

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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