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People group profile · PG013097

The Kouya of Côte d’Ivoire

The Kouya of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering about 212,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Côte d'Ivoire.

They are an indigenous people in the Kru people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Kouya.

Pray for the KouyaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Cote d’Ivoire
Population
212,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Kru
Primary language
Kouya (kyf)
Primary religion
Animism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Pioneer Unreached People Group
Region
Western Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Kouya are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. 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 Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Kouya

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Animism · Ethnoreligion

60% adherents

Primary language

Kouya · Kru family

100% speak Kouya

Gospel resources in Kouya

  • Bible available, published 2015
  • 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 Kouya

  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.

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