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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Nsenga of Zambia

The Nsenga of Zambia, numbering approximately 1,090,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a matrilineal people whose name means journey, commemorating a fourteenth-century migration from the Luba-Lunda kingdom of Congo to Zambia's Eastern Province, later influenced by the neighboring Chewa in language and custom despite a distinct origin. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Nsenga is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Zambia
People Cluster: Bantu, Chewa-Sena
Primary Language(s): Nsenga (nse)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 1,090,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG015619
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Pray for the Nsenga 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

—
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Nsenga
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Nsenga Speakers

Media Resources in Nsenga:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Nsenga:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Nsenga bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Nsenga 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 Nsenga:
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 Nsenga of Zambia

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
readPsalm 130:4

Pray that God will bring those who have hard hearts to repentance and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’
readRevelation 7:9-10

Pray that many people will receive the gospel and will be part of the great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, clothed in white robes and palm branches, proclaiming salvation belongs to our God.

And God is able to make all grace about to you, so that having sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
read2 Corinthians 9:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will see that God provides for their needs and be content in His provision so that they may excel in every good work.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
readPsalm 139:14

Praise God for His creativity and power, and pray that He will raise up men and women from among them who are in awe of all He has done and want to go share the hope of Christ with others.

Nsenga Across Countries (ROP3 - 107484) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
NsengaPG015619NsengaZambia1,090,000No Longer UnreachedNsengaEthnoreligion
NsengaPG015406NsengaMozambique82,500Engaged yet UnreachedNsengaAnimism

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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