The French of Madagascar

The French of Madagascar, numbering approximately 191,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Western European people whose culture has been shaped by the interaction of Celtic, Roman, Germanic, and Mediterranean influences, a long history of state formation, and a strong tradition of language, civic identity, and cultural expression. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and French is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Eurasian Peoples
Country: Madagascar
People Cluster: French
Primary Language(s): French (fra)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 191,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015299
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the French of Madagascar

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

75%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: French
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
French Speakers

Media Resources in French:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

3 films

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The French 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 French:
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 French of Madagascar

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
readIsaiah 48:11

Pray that those who have been living for their own glory will turn to the One who is worthy of all praise and find their true identity in Him.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
readPsalm 119:105

Pray that they will receive the Word of God as a lamp to their feet and commit their ways to Him.

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.

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
readJeremiah 29:7

Pray that God will lead the lost among them to followers of Jesus who will share the gospel with them so that they may believe and take the message of hope to their families and friends.

French Across Countries (ROP3 - 103059) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

21 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress Index ▲LanguageReligion
FrenchFrenchAustria16,000Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchLuxembourg93,000Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchPortugal17,500Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchUnited Kingdom164,000Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchAndorra4,700Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchUnaffiliated
FrenchFrenchChad20,000Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchDjibouti19,000Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
St. BarthiansSt. BarthiansSaint Barthelemy11,500Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchSaint Pierre and Miquelon5,100Unengaged and UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchFrance49,460,000Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchUnaffiliated
FrenchFrenchMonaco30,000Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchComoros1,800Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchMadagascar191,000Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchMayotte1,200Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchReunion66,500Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchUnaffiliated
FrenchFrenchSeychelles1,900Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchMartinique8,400Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchAustralia41,500Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchFrench Guiana27,000Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchUnited States2,140,000Engaged yet UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism
FrenchFrenchNew Caledonia93,500No Longer UnreachedFrenchRoman Catholicism

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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