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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Wakatobi of Indonesia

The Wakatobi of Indonesia, numbering approximately 172,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Indonesia (Sulawesi). They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Tukang Besi North is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Indonesia
People Cluster: Tukangbesi of Sulawesi
Primary Language(s): Tukang Besi North (khc)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 172,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG047798

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Pray for the Wakatobi of Indonesia

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: Tukang Besi North
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Tukang Besi North Speakers

Media Resources in Tukang Besi North:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Tukang Besi North:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Tukang Besi North bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Wakatobi 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 Wakatobi:
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 Wakatobi of Indonesia

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
readMatthew 24:14

Pray that the message of hope will reach those who are wandering in darkness, offering them a path to eternal life.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
readPsalm 22:27-28

Pray that entire families will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, and that they will worship Him and declare His righteousness to the nations.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
readDeuteronomy 7:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will know God's faithful love and keep His commandments, experiencing His steadfast care.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
readJohn 1:5

Pray that when discouraging days come, those who cross cultures for the sake of the gospel will be comforted as they remember that the light of Christ is stronger than the darkness that surrounds them.

Tukangbesi, North Across Countries (ROP3 - 110254) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
WakatobiPG047798WakatobiIndonesia172,000Engaged yet UnreachedTukang Besi NorthSunni 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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