The Sinhalese of Oman

The Sinhalese of Oman, numbering approximately 53,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a culturally rich and historically significant ethnic group in Sri Lanka, known for their Sinhala language, Theravada Buddhist traditions, and influential role in shaping the island's cultural and political landscape. They mostly adhere to Theravada Buddhism and Sinhala is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Oman
People Cluster: Sinhala
Primary Language(s): Sinhala (sin)
Primary Religion(s): Theravada Buddhism
Population: 53,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046413
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Sinhalese of Oman

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: Theravada Buddhism
Religious Affiliation: Buddhism

95%
%
Theravada Buddhism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Sinhala
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Sinhala Speakers

Media Resources in Sinhala:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Sinhala:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Sinhala bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Sinhalese 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 Sinhalese:
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 Sinhalese of Oman

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
readMatthew 6:16

Pray that those who live to please men and not God will turn from the emptiness of seeking approval from others and find true satisfaction in the treasure of a personal relationship with God.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
readJohn 6:35

Pray that the lost will come to Jesus and believe in Him, never to hunger or thirst again.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
readPsalm 121:1-2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and experience hardship, God will remind them that their help comes from the One who made heaven and earth and that He is powerful to meet their needs.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
readPsalm 139:14

Praise God for His creativity and power, and pray that He will raise up men and women from among them who are in awe of all He has done and want to go share the hope of Christ with others.

Sinhalese Across Countries (ROP3 - 109305) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

11 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
SinhaleseSinhaleseSri Lanka17,690,000Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseUnited Arab Emirates179,000Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
Sri LankenSri LankenItaly115,000Unengaged and UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseQatar56,500Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseOman53,500Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseMalaysia36,500No Longer UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseUnited States30,500Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseSingapore23,500Unengaged and UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseCanada18,000Engaged yet UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseThailand8,200Unengaged and UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism
SinhaleseSinhaleseMaldives4,000No Longer UnreachedSinhalaTheravada Buddhism

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.

Scroll to Top