The Dong of Nigeria

The Dong of Nigeria, numbering approximately 10,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of northeastern Nigeria associated with Adamawa and Taraba states, whose Dong language belongs to the Dakoid branch of Niger-Congo. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Dong is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Benue
Primary Language(s): Dong (doh)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 10,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013744
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Dong of Nigeria

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: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

59%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dong
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Dong Speakers

Media Resources in Dong:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Dong:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Dong bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dong 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.

Next steps for the Dong:
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

Pray specifically for the Dong of Nigeria

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
readJohn 11:25

Pray for the many who have never heard about or understood the importance of what Jesus did for them, asking God to make a way for them to hear that the perfect Son of Man suffered, died, and rose again so that they might be saved.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
readRomans 5:11

Pray for the gospel to advance and for more people to be brought into God's family through the reconciliation Jesus offers them.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
readColossians 4:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be wise in the way they walk with the lost and manage their time and other resources in a way that honors God.

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
readPsalm 149:3

Pray that God will send His people across cultures to share the gospel so that those who don't yet know the truth about Him might praise His name and share the hope of Christ with others.

Dong Across Countries (ROP3 - 102704) 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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