The Budukh of Azerbaijan

The Budukh of Azerbaijan, numbering approximately 200 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous Shahdagh people whose ancestral center is the mountain village of Buduq in northeastern Azerbaijan; their Budukh language belongs to the Lezgic branch of the Northeast Caucasian family. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Budukh is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Eurasian Peoples
Country: Azerbaijan
People Cluster: Caucasus
Primary Language(s): Budukh (bdk)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 200
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024060
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Budukh of Azerbaijan

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Budukh
Language Family: Nakh-Daghestanian

20%
%
Budukh Speakers

Media Resources in Budukh:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Budukh:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Budukh bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Budukh 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 Budukh:
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 Budukh of Azerbaijan

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.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
readPsalm 121:1-2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and experience hardship, God will remind them that their help comes from the One who made heaven and earth and that He is powerful to meet their needs.

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
readMatthew 10:14-15

Pray for God to raise up and send out believers to share the gospel with those in this people group who do not yet follow Christ. Pray that they will be welcomed with open arms so that the people they share with will hear and receive the good news with joy.

Budug Across Countries (ROP3 - 101695) 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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