Where the church stands in Iraq
Christianity in Iraq is older than Islam and older than most of Europe's churches — Assyrian and Chaldean believers still pray in dialects of Aramaic. In 1990 there were perhaps 1.5 million Christians. After decades of war and the ISIS assault on the Nineveh Plain, the number is likely under 150,000.
The remnant that stayed, and some who have returned to rebuild Qaraqosh and other towns, are among the most tested believers on earth. Alongside them a small Kurdish and Arab believing community has emerged — new believers in a land of ancient faith.
Signs of hope
Families returning to rebuild Christian towns on the Nineveh Plain, and a small but real movement among Kurds.
The honest difficulty
Mass emigration, destroyed communities, and an ancient Christian presence at risk of vanishing entirely.
What "Unreached" means
There is no indigenous community of believing Christians large enough to evangelise the rest of the nation without outside help. Commonly measured as under 2% evangelical.
In Iraq the majority religious context is Islam (~97%). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the Iraqi Arab and Kurdish communities.
How to pray for Iraq
Prayer is not a substitute for going; it is how going begins. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Pray for the small Christian remnant of Iraq — that it would not disappear.
- Ask God to bless families rebuilding on the Nineveh Plain.
- Pray for Kurdish and Arab believers coming to Christ in a wounded land.
- Pray for forgiveness where memory of atrocity is still fresh.
Questions people ask about Iraq
Is Iraq an unreached nation?
Iraq is classified as unreached. There is no indigenous community of believing Christians large enough to evangelise the rest of the nation without outside help. Commonly measured as under 2% evangelical. Roughly 0.4% of the population identifies as Christian and about 0.1% as evangelical, with an estimated 42 of its 57 people groups still considered unreached. Figures are rounded estimates and vary by source and year.
How many Christians are there in Iraq?
About 0.4% of Iraq's roughly 46 million people identify as Christian — approximately 184,000 people. Around 0.1% are evangelical. The largest group still without meaningful Gospel access is the Iraqi Arab and Kurdish communities.
How can I pray for Iraq?
Pray for the small Christian remnant of Iraq — that it would not disappear. Ask God to bless families rebuilding on the Nineveh Plain. Pick one of these, pray it for two minutes a day for a week, and ask one other person to pray it with you.