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

People group profile · PG011302

The Kurmanji Kurds of Bahrain

The Kurmanji Kurds of Bahrain, numbering about 92,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are ethnic Kurds who primarily speak Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish), the most widely spoken Kurdish dialect.

They are a diaspora people in the Kurd people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Northern Kurdish.

Pray for the Kurmanji KurdsPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Bahrain
Population
92,500
Affinity group
Central Asian Peoples
People cluster
Kurd
Primary language
Northern Kurdish (kmr)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
Strategic Progress Index
Unengaged and Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Western Asia, Asia

Where they live

Gospel status

The Kurmanji Kurds are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

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

Next steps for the Kurmanji Kurds

  • Pray that God would send workers to this people group
  • Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
  • Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice

Primary religion

Sunni Islam · Islam

94% adherents

Primary language

Northern Kurdish · Indo-European family

100% speak Northern Kurdish

Gospel resources in Northern Kurdish

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

Films

Bibles

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

Pray for the Kurmanji Kurds

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

Download a prayer guide

Kurd, Northern (Kurmanji) in other countries

The same people (ROP3 105458) is reported in 20 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
Kurmanji KurdsTurkiye9,000,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsSyria1,615,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsIran573,000Unengaged and Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsGermany540,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsLebanon152,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsUnited Kingdom150,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsFrance85,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsNetherlands75,500Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsAustria68,500Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsBelgium67,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsKazakhstan51,500Unengaged and Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsGeorgia39,500Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsRussian Federation35,000No Longer Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsJordan12,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsKyrgyzstan10,000Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsTurkmenistan8,200Unengaged and Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsCanada7,700Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsAzerbaijan6,400Unengaged and Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsAustralia5,500Engaged yet Unreached
Kurmanji KurdsUzbekistan3,500Unengaged and Unreached

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