Download the People Group List (16 languages .csv)

Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
Bengali - বাংলা | Chinese (Simplified) - 中文（简体）
Chinese (Traditional) - 中文（繁體) | French - Français
German - Deutsch | Gujarati - ગુજરાતી
Hindi - हिन्दी | Indonesian - Bahasa Indonesia
Korean - 한국어 | Nepali - नेपाली
Portuguese - Português | Russian - Русский
Spanish - Español | Tagalog / Filipino
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The Assyrians of Iran

The Assyrians of Iran, numbering approximately 22,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a Semitic people indigenous to northern Mesopotamia, speakers of Neo-Aramaic, claiming continuity with ancient Assyria, split across the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox traditions, with a large modern diaspora. They mostly adhere to Chaldean Catholicism and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Iran
People Cluster: Assyrian
Primary Language(s): Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (aii)
Primary Religion(s): Chaldean Catholicism
Population: 22,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024131
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Pray for the Assyrians of Iran

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: Chaldean Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

60%
%
Chaldean Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

80%
%
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Speakers

Media Resources in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic:

Films:
Title Link
JESUS View Film
Magdalena View Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Assyrian Neo-Aramaic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

Explore Lostness and Next Steps

Unengaged and Unreached

Strategic Priority Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached (SPI: 0), which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.
Lostness Priority Index (LPI): Frontier Unreached People Group, (LPI: 0), < 0.1% Evangelical.
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity (GSEC: 1), this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years

Next steps for the Assyrians:
Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Pray specifically for the Assyrians of Iran

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
readLuke 15:7

Pray that God will convict the lost of their sin, give them an urgency to run to Him for forgiveness, and feel His welcoming arms around them when they turn to Him.

If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
readPsalm 139:8

Pray that the lost will recognize God's presence with them wherever they go, put their faith in Christ, and seek to live in a way that honors and glorifies Him.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
readHebrew 4:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will boldly draw near to God as they approach Him in prayer, receive His mercy, and find grace for help in their time of need.

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.

Assyrian Across Countries (ROP3 - 100574) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

14 people groups

Photo People Group ID Name Country Population Strategic Progress Index Language ▲ Religion
Assyrians PG000214 Assyrians Germany 70,000 No Longer Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Syriac Orthodox Christianity
Assyrians PG000543 Assyrians Sweden 146,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Syriac Orthodox Christianity
Assyrians PG000613 Assyrians United Kingdom 7,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG007833 Assyrians Australia 40,000 No Longer Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Church of the East
Assyrians PG011701 Assyrians Iraq 207,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG011733 Assyrians Israel 850 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Church of the East
Assyrians PG011812 Assyrians Lebanon 31,500 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Syriac Orthodox Christianity
Assyrians PG012181 Assyrians Syria 50,500 Engaged yet Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Syriac Orthodox Christianity
Assyrians PG024131 Assyrians Iran 22,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG024540 Assyrians Turkiye 29,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Church of the East
Assyrians PG042491 Assyrians France 4,000 Unengaged and Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG043355 Assyrians Canada 11,500 No Longer Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG043528 Assyrians United States 70,000 No Longer Unreached Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Catholicism
Assyrians PG011794 Assyrians Kuwait 8,500 Engaged yet Unreached Turoyo Church of the East

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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