The Bakumpai of Indonesia

The Bakumpai of Indonesia, numbering approximately 131,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Dayak Ngaju-related people of the Barito River basin in Kalimantan whose identity developed through a distinct Bakumpai heritage and long association with the riverine communities of central and southern Borneo. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Bakumpai is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Indonesia
People Cluster: Barito of Kalimantan
Primary Language(s): Bakumpai (bkr)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 131,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG022547
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bakumpai 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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

85%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bakumpai
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Bakumpai Speakers

Media Resources in Bakumpai:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bakumpai:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Bakumpai bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bakumpai 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 Bakumpai:
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 Bakumpai of Indonesia

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
readActs 4:12

Pray that those walking in darkness among them will come to know the name by which they must be saved, and call upon Him in faith.

Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia."
readRomans 16:5

Pray for houses to be meeting places for Christians and that God will advance the gospel and grow His Church through natural familial and community relationships.

And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
readActs 16:15

Pray that God will bring entire families and households to faith in Him and raise up servant-leaders from among them.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
readJohn 7:38

Ask God to raise up believers and sustain them as they cross cultures to share hope with those who need it. Pray that many might come to know Christ and that streams of living water will flow from their hearts so they will never thirst again.

Bakumpai Across Countries (ROP3 - 100828) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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