Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG010180

The Mape of Papua New Guinea

The Mape of Papua New Guinea, numbering about 19,500 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 Mape.

Pray for the MapePrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Papua New Guinea
Population
19,500
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
New Guinea
Primary language
Mape (mlh)
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
Region
Melanesia, Oceania

Where they live

Gospel status

The Mape 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 Mape

  • 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

35% adherents

Primary language

Mape · Nuclear Trans New Guinea family

65% speak Mape

Gospel resources in Mape

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings not 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 Mape

  1. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  3. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  4. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.

Download a prayer guide

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.