Persians of Syria (PGID: PG012193)

PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Persians of Syria

The Persians of Syria, numbering approximately 10,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a complex Iranian community shaped by a rich history, multifaceted blend of ancient traditions, cultural heritage, modern influences, Islamic values, and a strong sense of national pride and resilience. They mostly adhere to Shia Islam and Iranian Persian is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Persian

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Syria
People Cluster: Persian
Primary Language(s): Iranian Persian (pes)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 10,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012193
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Pray for the Persians of Syria

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%

Shia Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Iranian Persian
Language Family: Indo-European

100%

Persian, Iranian Speakers

Media Resources in Iranian Persian:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
Magdalena	View Film
The Savior	View Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Iranian Persian:

Bible Name (Translation)	Video	Audio	Text
New Millenium Version 2009		✓
New Millenium Version 2014	✓		✓
Today's Persian Version		✓	✓

3 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Iranian Persian bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

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 Persians:

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 Persians of Syria

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5

Pray those who are lost will realize their sin, confess their iniquity, and grow in their understanding of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:1

Pray that those who have yet to believe will soon recognize the majesty of God's name and raise their voices in praise to the Lord Almighty.

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.
Psalm 105:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will rejoice as they remember His wonders, miracles, and perfect judgements.

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

Persian Across Countries (ROP3 - 107987) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

30 people groups

People Group ID	Name	Country	Population ▲	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
PG024081	Persians	Azerbaijan	1,400	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG047071	Persians	Greece	2,400	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG050237	Persians	South Korea	3,500	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG009630	Persians	New Zealand	7,400	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG050098	Persians	Armenia	7,800	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG050238	Persians	Indonesia	8,000	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG012193	Persians	Syria	10,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG042331	Persians	Italy	11,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG043167	Persians	Belgium	12,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG006390	Persians	Pakistan	13,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG000034	Persians	Austria	15,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG000091	Persians	Denmark	15,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG011886	Persians	Oman	16,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG049321	Persians	Malaysia	21,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG024309	Persians	Uzbekistan	34,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG022255	Persians	Netherlands	36,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG011804	Persians	Kuwait	50,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG042479	Persians	France	65,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG020262	Persians	Australia	84,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG000643	Persians	United Kingdom	86,000	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG024002	Persians	Afghanistan	117,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG024581	Persians	Turkiye	130,000	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG000259	Persians	Germany	175,000	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG043458	Persians	Canada	202,000	No Longer Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG011304	Persians	Bahrain	225,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG011904	Persians	Qatar	276,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG043278	Persians	United States	467,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG011719	Persians	Iraq	511,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG012247	Persians	United Arab Emirates	557,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam
PG024197	Persians	Iran	29,500,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Iranian Persian	Shia Islam

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

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