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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Minangkabau of Indonesia

The Minangkabau of Indonesia, numbering approximately 8,130,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a matrilineal Austronesian people of the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra whose identity was shaped by the Pagaruyung kingdom, widespread migration traditions, and a distinctive synthesis of Malay heritage and Islamic custom They are an Indigenous people, with Minangkabau as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Minangkabau-Rejang of Sumatra people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam. They primarily speak Minangkabau.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Minangkabau

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Indonesia
People Cluster: Minangkabau-Rejang of Sumatra
Primary Language(s): Minangkabau (min)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 8,130,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG022519
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Pray for the Minangkabau of Indonesia

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: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Minangkabau
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Minangkabau Speakers

Media Resources in Minangkabau:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Minangkabau:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Today's Minang Version, 2010✓✓✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Minangkabau bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Minangkabau 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 Minangkabau:
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 Minangkabau of Indonesia

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!
readPsalm 30:10

Pray that people in the depths of despair and suffering and living outside of relationship with Christ will cry out to the Lord and find help, peace, and joy in Him.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
readPsalm 19:1-2

Pray that the lost will see the glory of God revealed in the heavens, that they will hear the good news, and that their hearts will be softened to respond to God’s call, turning to Him in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
readDeuteronomy 6:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and might, as they strive to live lives that honor and glorify Him.

And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."
readRomans 15:20-21

Pray that God will send believers to cross cultures and proclaim the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that the nations might glorify God for His mercy.

Minangkabau Across Countries (ROP3 - 106640) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
MinangkabauPG022519MinangkabauIndonesia8,130,000Engaged yet UnreachedMinangkabauSunni Islam

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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