The Sarikoli Tajiks of China

The Sarikoli Tajiks of China, numbering approximately 20,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an ethnic group primarily associated with the Sarikoli language, a member of the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. They are an Indigenous people, in the Tajik people cluster of the Persian-Median affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Shia Imami Ismaili. They primarily speak Sarikoli.

Sarikoli Tajiks in China photo
Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Sarikoli Tajik

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Central Asian Peoples
Country: China
People Cluster: Tajik
Primary Language(s): Sarikoli (srh)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Shia Imami Ismaili
Population: 20,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): No Evangelicals, Churches or Resources
People Group ID: PG024997

Pray for the Sarikoli Tajiks of China

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Shia Imami Ismaili
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Shia Imami Ismail… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Sarikoli
Language Family: Indo-European

%
Sarikoli Speakers

Media Resources in Sarikoli:

Films:

No entries found for: Sarikoli(srh). Help build some!

Bible Resources in Sarikoli:

Or check out the Sarikoli bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Sarikoli Tajiks

The Sarikoli Tajiks are Unengaged and Unreached, 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.

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

Next steps for the Sarikoli Tajiks

The Sarikoli 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.

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

Next steps for the Sarikoli Tajiks

The Sarikoli Tajiks are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Sarikoli Tajiks of China

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
readPsalm 130:4

Pray that God will bring those who have hard hearts to repentance and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
readJohn 14:6

Pray that those who are searching for a way to God and desiring truth will encounter the good news of eternal life and accept it.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
read1 Peter 3:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will live in harmony with one another, showing sympathy, love, compassion, and humility.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
read1 Corinthians 9:22

Ask God to raise up believers from around the world to go and share the hope of Jesus with the lost so that they might trust in Him and have the hope of eternal life.

Tajik, Sarikoli (ROP3 - 114322) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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