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The Sorani Kurds of Iran

The Sorani Kurds of Iran, numbering approximately 3,625,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Kurdish people of Iran's Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan provinces speaking the Sorani dialect, whose spread followed the economic rise of the Baban dynasty of Suleymania, displacing older Hewramani and Gorani speech. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Central Kurdish is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Kurd, Central (Sorani)

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Iran
People Cluster: Kurd
Primary Language(s): Central Kurdish (ckb)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 3,625,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046635
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Pray for the Sorani Kurds of Iran

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

100%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Central Kurdish
Language Family: Indo-European

75%
%
Kurdish, Central Speakers

Media Resources in Central Kurdish:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Central Kurdish:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Central Kurdish bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Sorani Kurds 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 Sorani Kurds:
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 Sorani Kurds of Iran

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.

...And that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
readLuke 24:47

Pray that the message of repentance and forgiveness through Jesus will reach everyone.

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
readMatthew 18:19

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they find other believers to pray with, and that they will trust God to answer their requests according to His will.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
read2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pray that as people hear and believe the gospel, they will serve others in Jesus' name, and the lost will have an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel.

Kurd, Central (Sorani) Across Countries (ROP3 - 101922) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

5 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Sorani KurdsPG011722Sorani KurdsIraq5,525,000Engaged yet UnreachedCentral KurdishSunni Islam
Sorani KurdsPG046635Sorani KurdsIran3,625,000Engaged yet UnreachedCentral KurdishSunni Islam
Sorani KurdsPG042748Sorani KurdsJordan41,000Unengaged and UnreachedCentral KurdishSunni Islam
Sorani KurdsPG043313Sorani KurdsUnited States18,000Engaged yet UnreachedCentral KurdishSunni Islam
Sorani KurdsPG050492Sorani KurdsCanada9,400Engaged yet UnreachedCentral KurdishSunni 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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