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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Nupe of Nigeria

The Nupe of Nigeria, numbering approximately 2,070,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are the largest ethnic group of Nigeria's North Central region, whose Nupe Kingdom emerged under the Igala conqueror Tsoede, was conquered by Fulani forces around 1806 and reorganized as an emirate, with Emir Usman Zaki founding Bida as its capital in 1835. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Nupe-Nupe-Tako is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Nupe
Primary Language(s): Nupe-Nupe-Tako (nup)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 2,070,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG014044
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Pray for the Nupe 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

94%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Nupe-Nupe-Tako
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Nupe-Nupe-Tako Speakers

Media Resources in Nupe-Nupe-Tako:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Nupe-Nupe-Tako:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1989 Bible Society of Nigeria✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Nupe-Nupe-Tako bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Nupe 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 Nupe:
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 Nupe of Nigeria

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
readRomans 1:19-20

Pray that God will use His creation – the “things that have been made” – to spark a fresh and passionate curiosity among them to draw near to the Maker and that, as they seek Him, He will make a way for them to hear the gospel and receive it with joy.

"...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
readMatthew 16:18b

Pray that God will build and grow His Church among this people.

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
readPsalm 134:1

Pray that God will raise up believers among them who are in awe of Him and that, in service to Him, they will share the gospel with others so that they too may bless the Lord!

Nupe Across Countries (ROP3 - 107516) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
NupePG014044NupeNigeria2,070,000No Longer UnreachedNupe-Nupe-TakoFolk Islam

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 Data Standards section.

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