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

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
readIsaiah 59:2

Pray that those who are separated from God will turn to Him in humility and repentance, seeking His forgiveness and the restoration of a right relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
readIsaiah 55:6

Pray that the lost will seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
readHebrews 10:39

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, and faithfully follow God, they will share Christ boldly with those around them.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
read1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Pray that God will raise up believers to go to the lost and faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection so that all may have an opportunity to access and believe.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

11 people groups

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

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