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People group profile · PG012185

The Chaldeans of Syria

The Chaldeans of Syria, numbering about 12,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an Aramaic-speaking ethnoreligious people indigenous to northern Mesopotamia, especially present-day Iraq, whose identity is rooted in East Syriac Christian traditions, a shared historical heritage, and membership primarily in the Chaldean Catholic Church.

They are a diaspora people in the Assyrian people cluster of the Arab Peoples. Their primary religion is Chaldean Catholicism, and they primarily speak Chaldean Neo-Aramaic.

Pray for the ChaldeansPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Syria
Population
12,500
Affinity group
Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
People cluster
Assyrian
Primary language
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (cld)
Primary religion
Chaldean Catholicism
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 Chaldeans 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 Chaldeans

  • 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

Chaldean Catholicism · Christianity

90% adherents

Primary language

Chaldean Neo-Aramaic · Afro-Asiatic family

66% speak Chaldean Neo-Aramaic

Gospel resources in Chaldean Neo-Aramaic

  • 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 Chaldeans

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

Download a prayer guide

Chaldean in other countries

The same people (ROP3 101983) is reported in 4 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
ChaldeansIraq68,000Unengaged and Unreached
ChaldeansTurkiye3,100Unengaged and Unreached
ChaldeansGermany3,000Unengaged and Unreached
ChaldeansNetherlands1,100Unengaged and Unreached

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