The Egyptian Arabs of Italy

The Egyptian Arabs of Italy, numbering approximately 132,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are the majority population of Egypt, a people whose culture reflects the interaction of ancient Egyptian heritage, Arab language and identity, Islamic traditions, Mediterranean influences, and centuries of life along the Nile Valley. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Egyptian Arabic is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Arab, Egyptian

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Arab Peoples
Country: Italy
People Cluster: Arab, Egyptian
Primary Language(s): Egyptian Arabic (arz)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 132,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG033520
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Egyptian Arabs of Italy

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

80%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Egyptian Arabic
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

60%
%
Arabic, Egyptian Speakers

Media Resources in Egyptian Arabic:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Egyptian Arabic:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Egyptian Arabic bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Egyptian Arabs 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 Egyptian Arabs:
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 Egyptian Arabs of Italy

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
readEphesians 5:8

Pray that those who are lost will turn from the darkness they are walking in and embrace the light, becoming children of light who bear fruit in every good work.

“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name."
readIsaiah 65:1

Pray that the lost will be found by God, even when they are not seeking Him. Pray that He will reveal Himself to them in a way they cannot ignore and that they will respond in faith.

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
readLuke 18:17

Pray that as people trust in Christ, they will have simple, childlike confidence that He will provide for their needs.

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 those God sends to cross cultures will patiently endure hardships as they share the gospel, knowing that the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise.

Arab, Egyptian Across Countries (ROP3 - 102879) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

22 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsEgypt68,880,000Engaged yet UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsSudan818,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsJordan773,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsSaudi Arabia666,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsIraq547,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsKuwait509,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsUnited Arab Emirates498,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsUnited States296,000Engaged yet UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsItaly132,000Engaged yet UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsCanada106,000Engaged yet UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsOman97,500Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsAustralia85,500No Longer UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsQatar56,500Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsUnited Kingdom45,500Engaged yet UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsLibya37,000Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsFrance31,500Engaged yet UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsGermany25,500No Longer UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsIsrael22,500Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsAlgeria21,500Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsYemen12,500Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsBelgium5,300No Longer UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni Islam
Egyptian ArabsEgyptian ArabsSpain4,600Unengaged and UnreachedEgyptian ArabicSunni 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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