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People group profile · PG010738

The Bilua of the Solomon Islands

The Bilua of the Solomon Islands, numbering about 17,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Papuan-language holdout on Vella Lavella Island in the Solomon Islands, surrounded by Austronesian-speaking neighbors, whose oral tradition holds that an earlier island population and language were displaced with help from people of nearby Bava.

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

Pray for the BiluaPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Bilua people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bilua

Fast facts

Country
Solomon Islands
Population
17,000
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Solomons
Primary language
Bilua (blb)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
5% or Greater but Less than 10%
GSEC ?
5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Moderately Reached People Group
Region
Melanesia, Oceania

Where they live

Gospel status

The Bilua are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 5% evangelical.

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

Next steps for the Bilua

  • 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

Primary language

Bilua

100% speak Bilua

Gospel resources in Bilua

  • Bible available, published 1995
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

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

Pray for the Bilua

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

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