The Rungwa of Tanzania

The Rungwa of Tanzania, numbering approximately 55,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group of western Tanzania, closely associated with the Lake Rukwa basin and the Katavi–Rukwa region. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Rungwa is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Tanzania
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Tanzania
Primary Language(s): Rungwa (rnw)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 55,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015029
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Rungwa of Tanzania

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

65%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Rungwa
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

85%
%
Rungwa Speakers

Media Resources in Rungwa:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Rungwa:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Rungwa bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Rungwa 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 Rungwa:
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 Rungwa of Tanzania

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
readPsalm 68:4

Pray that many will come to faith in Christ and share the gospel with others so that His salvation will be known among all nations.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
readDeuteronomy 7:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will know God's faithful love and keep His commandments, experiencing His steadfast care.

And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.
readLuke 10:6

Pray that, as people come to faith in Christ and want to share it with others, they will be welcomed into homes and received well so that they can share message of hope with many people.

Rungwa Across Countries (ROP3 - 108446) 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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