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People group profile · PG010175

The Manam of Papua New Guinea

The Manam of Papua New Guinea, numbering about 16,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an indigenous ethnic group of Papua New Guinea.

They are an indigenous people in the New Guinea people cluster of the Pacific Islander Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Manam.

Pray for the ManamPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Manam people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Manam

Fast facts

Country
Papua New Guinea
Population
16,500
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
New Guinea
Primary language
Manam (mva)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
30% or Greater but Less than 40%
GSEC ?
10% or Greater Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Significantly Reached People Group
Also known as
Vulkan Islanders, Manam
Region
Melanesia, Oceania

Where they live

Gospel status

The Manam are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 10% evangelical.

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

Next steps for the Manam

  • 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

Protestantism · Christianity

40% adherents

Primary language

Manam · Austronesian family

65% speak Manam

Gospel resources in Manam

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Bibles

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

Pray for the Manam

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

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