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The Oy Layao of Laos

The Oy Layao of Laos, numbering approximately 5,600 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Layao subgroup of the Oy people of Laos who belong to the broader Mon-Khmer tradition and maintain a distinct identity within the Oy-speaking communities of southern Laos. They mostly adhere to Animism and Oy is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Country: Laos
People Cluster: Mon-Khmer
Primary Language(s): Oy (oyb)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 5,600
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
People Group ID: PG050546
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Pray for the Oy Layao of Laos

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

99%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Oy
Language Family: Austroasiatic

50%
%
Oy Speakers

Media Resources in Oy:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Oy:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Oy bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Oy Layao 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 Oy Layao:
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 Oy Layao of Laos

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or?rulers?or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
readColossians 1:16

Pray for those who are lost among them, that they will come to know the One who created all things and holds all things together.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
readMatthew 6:10

Pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that people will seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else, trusting in His provision.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
readPsalm 6:8

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, God will remind them that He is near and will help them place their hope in Him when others wish to do them harm.

For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
read2 Corinthians 1:5

When any who might believe suffer for the sake of the gospel, ask God to deepen their understanding of His grace so that they may share it freely with those who have not received it.

Oy Layao Across Countries (ROP3 - 119525) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Oy LayaoPG050546Oy LayaoLaos5,600Engaged yet UnreachedOyAnimism

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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