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People group profile · PG006443

The Telugu of Sri Lanka

The Telugu of Sri Lanka, numbering about 13,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indo-Iranian ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the India states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry.

They are a diaspora people in the Telugu people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Telugu.

Pray for the TeluguPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Telugu people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Telugu

Fast facts

Country
Sri Lanka
Population
13,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Telugu
Primary language
Telugu (tel)
Primary religion
Hinduism
Strategic Progress Index
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
2% or Greater but Less than 5%
GSEC
2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
Lostness priority
Marginally Reached People Group
Region
Southern Asia, Asia
Location
Widespread

Where they live

Gospel status

The Telugu are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 2% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Telugu

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Hinduism

86% adherents

Primary language

Telugu · Dravidian family

100% speak Telugu

Gospel resources in Telugu

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories available

Films

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Telugu

  1. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  2. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  3. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  4. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.

Download a prayer guide

Telugu in other countries

The same people (ROP3 109930) is reported in 9 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
TeluguUnited Arab Emirates518,000Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguUnited States428,000Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguMyanmar271,000Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguMalaysia138,000No Longer Unreached
TeluguBahrain34,500Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguCanada17,500Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguBangladesh12,000Engaged yet Unreached
TeluguSingapore850No Longer Unreached
TeluguKuwait850Engaged yet Unreached

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