The Sonsorol of Palau

The Sonsorol of Palau, numbering approximately 900 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Chuukic-speaking Micronesian people of Palau's remote Sonsorol Islands, descended by tradition from canoe voyagers who drifted from Ulithi Atoll, ethnically and linguistically distinct from mainland Palauans despite shared statehood. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Palauan is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Pacific Islander Peoples
Country: Palau
People Cluster: Micronesian
Primary Language(s): Palauan (pau)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 900
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG050219
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Sonsorol of Palau

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: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

50%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Palauan
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Palauan Speakers

Media Resources in Palauan:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Palauan:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
United Bible Societies✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Palauan bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Sonsorol are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Sonsorol:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Sonsorol of Palau

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
readLuke 12:7

Pray that those who don't yet know how to trust in Jesus will not be consumed by worry and anxiety, but will trust in the Father's care and provision for their daily needs and for their eternal salvation

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
readPsalm 68:4

Pray that many will come to faith in Christ and share the gospel with others so that His salvation will be known among all nations.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
readHebrew 4:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will boldly draw near to God as they approach Him in prayer, receive His mercy, and find grace for help in their time of need.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
readJames 5:16

Pray that believers whom God sends will confess their sins, pray for one another, and live in unity. Ask that they will model healthy Christian relationships for this people group.

Sonsorol Across Countries (ROP3 - 109419) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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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