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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Bwile of Zambia

The Bwile of Zambia, numbering approximately 66,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous people of northern Zambia centered on the northeastern shore of Lake Mweru in Chiengi District, with related communities across the border in the DRC. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Bwile is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bwile

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Zambia
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Bwile (bwc)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 66,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015572
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Pray for the Bwile of Zambia

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

50%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bwile
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

57%
%
Bwile Speakers

Media Resources in Bwile:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Bwile:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Bwile bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bwile 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 Bwile:
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 Bwile of Zambia

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
readProverbs 30:5

Pray that those who don't yet know God will trust the flawless Word of God and seek refuge in Him, finding hope and salvation instead of remaining in spiritual darkness.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
readJohn 8:12

Pray that many will come to know Jesus, the light of the world, and have the light of life instead of walking in darkness.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
readPsalm 42:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will thirst for God and be satisfied when they abide in Him.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
readPsalm 9:18

Pray that God will raise up believers who can help meet emotional and physical needs among this people group. Ask Him to open doors for them and give them the courage to walk into difficult situations and share the hope of the gospel boldly.

Bwile Across Countries (ROP3 - 101828) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion ▼
BwilePG014533BwileCongo, Democratic Republic of the27,500Unengaged and UnreachedBwileRoman Catholicism
BwilePG015572BwileZambia66,000Engaged yet UnreachedBwileRoman 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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