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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
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Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

The Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen, numbering approximately 13,710,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are the largest Arab ethnolinguistic population in Yemen, native to the northern highlands, northeastern deserts, and the area around Ṣanʿāʾ, the capital. They are commonly referred to as Sanaani Arabs Sanaani Arabs They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Yemeni people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Shia. They primarily speak Arabic, Sanaani.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Northern Yemeni Arab

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Yemen
People Cluster: Arab, Yemeni
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Sanaani (ayn)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Shia
Population: 13,710,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012284
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Pray for the Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Shia
Religious Affiliation: Islam

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Dig Deeper (Language):

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

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Media Resources in Arabic, Sanaani:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Arabic, Sanaani:

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

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

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni 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 Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni 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 Northern Yemeni Arabs

The Northern Yemeni 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 Northern Yemeni Arabs of Yemen

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that those who are lost and unaware of God's blessings will come to know Him as the one true God, put their trust in Him, and join in praising Him among the nations.

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.

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
readHebrews 10:34

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have compassion for those in prison, sympathize with those who are mistreated, and continue to do good and share the gospel with others.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
readRomans 12:4-5

Ask God to send believers to people in other cultures and to help them use their gifts in harmony with others so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Arab, Northern Yemeni (ROP3 - 108627) 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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