The Lingala of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Lingala of Congo, Democratic Republic of the, numbering approximately 4,310,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Congolese ethnolinguistic community associated with the Lingala language, which emerged from Congo River trade networks and the historical Bangala riverine peoples. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Lingala is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary Language(s): Lingala (lin)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 4,310,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG050322
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Lingala of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

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

29%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Lingala
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Lingala Speakers

Media Resources in Lingala:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Lingala:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1982 Boyokant Ya Sika✓

1 entry

Or check out the Lingala bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Lingala 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 Lingala:
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 Lingala of Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.
readPsalm 67:4

Pray that those who are lost in darkness and confusion will come to understand God's ways, submit to His righteous rule, and experience the joy of His salvation.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
readPsalm 34:4

Pray for each who becomes a child of God to share the hope of eternity with family and friends.

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
readNumbers 6:26

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be blessed with peace in their lives, knowing that God is with them.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
readPsalm 67:1-2

Pray that as God blesses believers from among this people group or from nearby cultures, He will raise them up to share His saving power among the nations.

Lingala Across Countries (ROP3 - 105785) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

9 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
LingalaLingalaSouth Sudan49,500Unengaged and UnreachedLingalaSunni Islam
LingalaLingalaCentral African Republic19,000Engaged yet UnreachedLingalaProtestantism
LingalaLingalaCongo189,000Engaged yet UnreachedLingalaProtestantism
LingalaLingalaAngola200,000Engaged yet UnreachedLingalaEthnoreligion
LingalaLingalaCanada3,500No Longer UnreachedLingalaProtestantism
LingalaLingalaCongo, Democratic Republic of the4,310,000No Longer UnreachedLingalaRoman Catholicism
CongoleseCongoleseBelgium15,500No Longer UnreachedLingalaRoman Catholicism
CongoleseCongoleseUganda28,000No Longer UnreachedLingalaNeo-Pentecostalism
CongoleseCongoleseUnited States38,000No Longer UnreachedLingalaNeo-Pentecostalism

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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