The Yazidi Kurds of Iraq

The Yazidi Kurds of Iraq, numbering approximately 666,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Kurdish-speaking ethno‑religious minority whose traditional homeland spans northern Iraq, northern Syria, southeastern Turkey, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran. They mostly adhere to Yazidism and Northern Kurdish is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Persian-Median Peoples
Country: Iraq
People Cluster: Kurd
Primary Language(s): Northern Kurdish (kmr)
Primary Religion(s): Yazidism
Population: 666,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG048854
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Yazidi Kurds of Iraq

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: Yazidism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

100%
%
Yazidism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Northern Kurdish
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Kurdish, Northern Speakers

Media Resources in Northern Kurdish:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
MagdalenaView Film

4 films

Bible Resources in Northern Kurdish:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2019 Kurdish Literature Association✓✓✓
2005 United Bible Society✓
Transcaucasia✓✓✓
Transcaucasia✓✓✓

4 entries

Or check out the Northern Kurdish bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Yazidi 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 Yazidi 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 Yazidi Kurds of Iraq

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
readIsaiah 45:22

Pray for many lost people to turn to the Lord, finding forgiveness and salvation in Him, for He is the only way to true life and restoration.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
readPsalm 96:7

Pray that entire households will come to faith in Jesus and that God will bless their families with faith in Him for generations to come.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
readPsalm 42:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will thirst for God and be satisfied when they abide in Him.

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.
readRomans 9:16

Ask God to raise up people who will trust in His sovereignty as they share the gospel, knowing that it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.

Yazidi Across Countries (ROP3 - 116305) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▼Religion
Yazidi KurdsYazidi KurdsArmenia35,000Engaged yet UnreachedNorthern KurdishYazidism
Yazidi KurdsYazidi KurdsIraq666,000Engaged yet UnreachedNorthern KurdishYazidism
Yazidi KurdsYazidi KurdsUnited States1,100Unengaged and UnreachedNorthern KurdishYazidism
Yazidi KurdsYazidi KurdsGermany101,000Engaged yet UnreachedNorthern KurdishYazidism

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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