Persians of Iran (PGID: PG024197)

PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Persians of Iran

The Persians of Iran, numbering approximately 29,440,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a complex Iranian community shaped by a rich history, multifaceted blend of ancient traditions, cultural heritage, modern influences, Islamic values, and a strong sense of national pride and resilience They are an Indigenous people, with Persian as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Persian people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Shia Islam. They primarily speak Persian, Iranian.

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

Fast Facts*:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Iran
People Cluster: Persian
Primary Language(s): Persian, Iranian (pes)
Primary Religion(s): Shia Islam
Population: 29,440,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024197
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Pray for the Persians 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.

Pray Now!

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Shia Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

95%

Shia Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Persian, Iranian
Language Family: Indo-European

100%

Persian, Iranian Speakers

Media Resources in Persian, Iranian:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
Magdalena	View Film
The Savior	View Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Persian, Iranian:

Bible Name (Translation)	Video	Audio	Text
New Millenium Version 2009		✓
New Millenium Version 2014	✓		✓
Today's Persian Version		✓	✓

3 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Persian, Iranian bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Persians 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 Persians:

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 Persians of Iran

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

Pray for those ensnared by the darkness of this world, that they will recognize the spiritual forces at work and turn to the light of Christ.

There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Psalm 19:3

Pray that God will lead them to His Word, and where it is not available, ask that He will raise up those who will produce gospel media in their heart language.

And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
Zechariah 2:11

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have a heart that longs to see all people from all parts of the world worshiping Jesus as He deserves.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:3

Pray for believers to go and share the gospel with others here. Ask that God will restore their souls and lead them in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Persian Across Countries (ROP3 - 107987) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

30 people groups

People Group ID	Name ▼	Country	Population	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
PG024002	Persians	Afghanistan	117,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG050238	Persians	Indonesia	8,000	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG050237	Persians	South Korea	3,500	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG050098	Persians	Armenia	7,900	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG049321	Persians	Malaysia	20,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG047071	Persians	Greece	2,400	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG043458	Persians	Canada	201,000	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG043278	Persians	United States	466,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG043167	Persians	Belgium	12,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG042479	Persians	France	65,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG042331	Persians	Italy	11,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG024581	Persians	Turkiye	130,000	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG024309	Persians	Uzbekistan	34,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG024197	Persians	Iran	29,440,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG024081	Persians	Azerbaijan	1,400	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG000034	Persians	Austria	15,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG022255	Persians	Netherlands	36,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG020262	Persians	Australia	84,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG012247	Persians	United Arab Emirates	570,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG012193	Persians	Syria	10,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG011904	Persians	Qatar	276,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG011886	Persians	Oman	16,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG011804	Persians	Kuwait	50,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG011719	Persians	Iraq	511,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG011304	Persians	Bahrain	225,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG009630	Persians	New Zealand	7,400	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG006390	Persians	Pakistan	13,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG000643	Persians	United Kingdom	86,000	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG000259	Persians	Germany	175,000	No Longer Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia Islam
PG000091	Persians	Denmark	15,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Persian, Iranian	Shia 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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