Where the church stands in Uzbekistan
Central Asia had a substantial church a thousand years ago, spread along the Silk Road, before it faded almost entirely. Uzbekistan today is roughly ninety percent Muslim, with unregistered religious activity legally restricted and churches subject to raids and fines.
An Uzbek-speaking church has nonetheless emerged over the last thirty years — small, mostly meeting in homes, but genuinely indigenous, with Scripture in Uzbek. Restrictions have eased somewhat in recent years, without disappearing.
Signs of hope
An Uzbek-speaking, Uzbek-led church with its own Scripture, where thirty years ago there was almost none.
The honest difficulty
Registration laws that make most gatherings technically illegal, plus fines and raids.
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 Uzbekistan the majority religious context is Islam (~90%). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the Uzbek (~30 million).
How to pray for Uzbekistan
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 Uzbek believers meeting in homes under registration laws.
- Thank God for Scripture in Uzbek and for a genuinely indigenous church.
- Ask God to open the door for legal registration and public worship.
- Pray for the Karakalpak people — one of Central Asia's least-reached groups.
Questions people ask about Uzbekistan
Is Uzbekistan an unreached nation?
Uzbekistan 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 1% of the population identifies as Christian and about 0.2% as evangelical, with an estimated 50 of its 60 people groups still considered unreached. Figures are rounded estimates and vary by source and year.
How many Christians are there in Uzbekistan?
About 1% of Uzbekistan's roughly 36 million people identify as Christian — approximately 360,000 people. Around 0.2% are evangelical. The largest group still without meaningful Gospel access is the Uzbek (~30 million).
How can I pray for Uzbekistan?
Pray for Uzbek believers meeting in homes under registration laws. Thank God for Scripture in Uzbek and for a genuinely indigenous church. Pick one of these, pray it for two minutes a day for a week, and ask one other person to pray it with you.