The Gilbertese of Solomon Islands

The Gilbertese of Solomon Islands, numbering approximately 2,400 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to Kiribati. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Gilbertese is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Pacific Islander Peoples
Country: Solomon Islands
People Cluster: Micronesian
Primary Language(s): Gilbertese (gil)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 2,400
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG018403
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Gilbertese of Solomon Islands

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: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Gilbertese
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Kiribati Speakers

Media Resources in Gilbertese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Gilbertese:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Bible Society of the South Pacific, 2016✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Gilbertese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Gilbertese 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 Gilbertese:
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 Gilbertese of Solomon Islands

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
read1 John 1:9

Pray that God, who is faithful and just, will open the eyes of those who are lost and draw them to confess their sins and trust in Him to grant forgiveness.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them
readMatthew 4:24

Pray that the truth about the Lord will spread throughout the land so that many will have an opportunity to receive the good news and put their faith in Him.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
readRomans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:11

Pray that those God sends to cross cultures will put on the full armor of God so that they will be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy.

Kiribertese Across Countries (ROP3 - 105038) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

7 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▼Religion
KiriberteseKiriberteseFiji7,100No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism
KiriberteseKiriberteseKiribati136,000No Longer UnreachedGilberteseRoman Catholicism
KiriberteseKiriberteseNauru2,300No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism
GilberteseGilberteseVanuatu1,000No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism
KiriberteseKiriberteseTuvalu125No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism
GilberteseGilberteseSolomon Islands2,400No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism
GilberteseGilberteseUnited States225No Longer UnreachedGilberteseProtestantism

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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