The Socotran of Yemen

The Socotran of Yemen, numbering approximately 78,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Yemen. They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Arabian people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Sunni. They primarily speak Soqotri.

Socotran in Yemen photo
Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Socotran

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Yemen
People Cluster: Arab, Arabian
Primary Language(s): Soqotri (sqt)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Sunni
Population: 78,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012291
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Socotran of Yemen

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Sunni
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Sunni Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Soqotri
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

%
Soqotri Speakers

Media Resources in Soqotri:

Films:

No entries found for: Soqotri(sqt). Help build some!

Bible Resources in Soqotri:

Or check out the Soqotri bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Socotran

The Socotran 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 Socotran

The Socotran 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 Socotran

The Socotran 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 Socotran of Yemen

Claiming to be wise, they became fools.
readRomans 1:22

Ask God to pour out His mercy and bring those who are walking in their own wisdom to faith in Jesus.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
readPsalm 25:5

Pray that the gospel will advance and that God will lead people in His truth, bringing many to salvation.

For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
readPsalm 47:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will exalt the Lord, recognizing His reign over the nations and His sovereignty over all things.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
readRomans 1:16

Pray that God will raise up sons and daughters who, like Paul, will be bold to share the gospel across cultural barriers so that many might receive salvation.

Socotran (ROP3 - 109372) reported in the following countries:

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

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