The Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 1,510,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a matrilineal people of southwestern DRC related to the Suku, whose 16th-century kingdom invaded Kongo from the Lunda Plateau before subservience under the 1620 Lunda expansion, regaining independence after the Lunda-Chokwe empire's collapse. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) (yaf)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 1,510,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG014746
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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

78%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Yaka (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Speakers

Media Resources in Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo):

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo):

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Yaka (Democratic Republic of Congo) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Yaka 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 Yaka:
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 Yaka of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
readJohn 14:6

Pray that those who don't know Jesus will recognize Him as the only way to the Father and follow Him in faith.

"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me."
readJohn 17:25

Pray that the lost will come to know the Father and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, and that they will be filled with His love and grace.

Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
readPsalm 111:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will praise the Lord with their whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
read1 John 1:5

Pray that God will raise up believers who can share the gospel with people who don't know the good news of Jesus, that God is light and in him, there is no darkness at all.

Yaka Across Countries (ROP3 - 110931) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

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