Who the Somali are
Somali identity fuses clan, nation and Islam so tightly that leaving the faith is treated as treason against all three. Discovered believers inside Somalia have been killed by militants and, at times, by their own families. The known believing community inside the country numbers in the hundreds.
But the Somali people are also one of the most dispersed on earth. Large communities live in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Gulf, Europe and North America — including Canadian cities — where the Gospel is completely free and where, for many Somalis, the first Christian they ever meet is a neighbour rather than a stranger.
Signs of hope
The full Bible exists in Somali, and a very large diaspora lives in cities where the Gospel is free and Somali believers can meet openly.
The honest difficulty
Discovery inside Somalia can be fatal, and the believing community there is measured in the hundreds.
What "Frontier" means
Fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus, and there is no indigenous movement large enough to grow on its own. Most people in this group will never meet a Christian.
This describes access to the Gospel, not the worth of a people or the sincerity of anyone's faith.
How to pray for the Somali
Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Pray for the small number of Somali believers, many at genuine risk of death.
- Ask God to use the Somali diaspora — including in Canadian cities — as the route home.
- Thank God for the full Bible in Somali, and pray it would be heard.
- Pray for peace after more than thirty years of conflict.
Where the Somali live
Each nation profile carries church size, unreached peoples, what is going well, what is hard, and four prayer points.
Questions people ask about the Somali
Who are the Somali people?
The Somali (also called Soomaali) are a people group of roughly 25 million, living mainly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia. They speak Somali and are predominantly Islam (Sunni). Among the very hardest peoples on earth to follow Jesus — and one of the most widely scattered. Population figures for people groups vary considerably by source and by how a group is defined.
Are the Somali an unreached people group?
The Somali are classified as frontier. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus, and there is no indigenous movement large enough to grow on its own. Most people in this group will never meet a Christian. Scripture status: Full Bible in Somali.
How can I pray for the Somali?
Pray for the small number of Somali believers, many at genuine risk of death. Ask God to use the Somali diaspora — including in Canadian cities — as the route home. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.