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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Betsimisaraka of Madagascar

The Betsimisaraka of Madagascar, numbering approximately 4,725,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a language of Madagascar, east coast, Toamasina province: Mahanoro District; Fianarantsoa province: Nosy Varika, Mananjary, Manakara Atsimo districts. They are an Indigenous people, in the Malagasy people cluster of the Malay Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion. They primarily speak Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka.

Betsimisaraka in Madagascar photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Eric Mathey

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-saharan Africa Peoples
Country: Madagascar
People Cluster: Malagasy
Primary Language(s): Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka (bzc)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 4,725,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015295
View on Joshua Project

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Pray for the Betsimisaraka of Madagascar

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka
Language Family: Austronesian

%
Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka Speakers

Media Resources in Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka:

Films:

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka:

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Malagasy, Southern Betsimisaraka bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Betsimisaraka

The Betsimisaraka are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Betsimisaraka

The Betsimisaraka 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.

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

Next steps for the Betsimisaraka

The Betsimisaraka 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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Betsimisaraka of Madagascar

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
readMark 10:15

Pray for those who might be trapped in pride, that God will humble them and give them a childlike faith and complete dependence on Him through faith in Christ.

"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.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
readPsalm 23:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust in the Lord's presence, even in the darkest valleys.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
readRomans 1:16

Pray that God will raise up sons and daughters who, like Paul, will be bold to share the gospel across cultural barriers so that many might receive salvation.

Betsimisaraka, South (ROP3 - 101302) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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