The Tajiks of Uzbekistan

The Tajiks of Uzbekistan, numbering approximately 1,730,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Iranian ethnic group that has lived in Central Asia for centuries. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Tajik is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Tajik

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Uzbekistan
People Cluster: Tajik
Primary Language(s): Tajik (tgk)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 1,730,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG024315
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Tajiks of Uzbekistan

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

96%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tajik
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Tajik Speakers

Media Resources in Tajik:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
MagdalenaView Film

4 films

Bible Resources in Tajik:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1992, 1999 Institute for Bible Translation - Stockholm✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Tajik bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Tajiks 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 Tajiks:
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 Tajiks of Uzbekistan

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.
readEphesians 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.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
read2 Peter 3:9

Pray that the lost will not perish but come to repentance and that God's patience and long-suffering will lead them to salvation.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
read2 Corinthians 12:10

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will embrace their weaknesses, hardships, and difficulties, having hope because Christ's power is made perfect in their weakness.

And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
readMatthew 25:40

Ask God to raise up and send believers who will serve "the least of these" with compassion and energy because they know that in serving those in need, they are serving Christ.

Tajik Across Countries (ROP3 - 109733) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

11 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
TajiksTajiksAfghanistan11,470,000Engaged yet UnreachedDariSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksKazakhstan34,500Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksUzbekistan1,730,000Engaged yet UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksKyrgyzstan65,500Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksPakistan1,885,000Engaged yet UnreachedDariSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksTajikistan7,410,000Engaged yet UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksTurkmenistan5,900Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksUnited States2,400Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksCanada3,100Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksRussian Federation1,240,000Engaged yet UnreachedTajikSunni Islam
TajiksTajiksGermany25,000Unengaged and UnreachedTajikSunni 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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