The Rundi of Burundi

The Rundi of Burundi, numbering approximately 14,350,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic group indigenous to the modern country of Burundi. A majority of the Rundi identify as Hutu and have traditionally engaged in farming. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Rundi is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Burundi
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Lakes
Primary Language(s): Rundi (run)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 14,350,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014468
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Rundi of Burundi

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

63%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Rundi
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Rundi Speakers

Media Resources in Rundi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Rundi:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2007 Bible Society of Burundi✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Rundi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Rundi 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 Rundi:
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 Rundi of Burundi

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self- made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
readColossians 2:23

Pray for those without Christ, that they will see the emptiness of human traditions and turn to the truth and grace found in Jesus.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
read1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pray that leaders and those in authority will not thwart the spread of the gospel but put their faith in Christ, have hearts that are soft toward their people, and be freed from the temptations that power can bring.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
readIsaiah 53:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will find comfort and spiritual healing as they remember the wounds of Christ, who understands their suffering because He also walked through suffering on their behalf.

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. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe."
readJohn 6:35-36

Praise God for the things such as bread that He has provided as natural conversation bridges to the gospel. Pray that believers will use any bridges He provides to share the gospel with those who do not yet know the good news.

Hutu Across Countries (ROP3 - 103926) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

6 people groups

PhotoPeople Group ID ▲NameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
RundiRundiBurundi14,350,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiKenya61,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiRwanda727,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiUganda111,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiTanzania675,000Unengaged and UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiCanada3,800No Longer UnreachedRundiProtestantism

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.

Scroll to Top