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People group profile · PG014990

The Mbunga of Tanzania

The Mbunga of Tanzania, numbering about 84,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Tanzania.

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

Pray for the MbungaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Tanzania
Population
84,500
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Central-Tanzania
Primary language
Mbunga (mgy)
Primary religion
Animism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Expanding Unreached People Group
Region
Eastern Africa, Africa
Location
Iringa and Morogoro regions

Where they live

Gospel status

The Mbunga 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 No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Mbunga

  • 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

80% adherents

Primary language

Mbunga · Atlantic-Congo family

58% speak Mbunga

Gospel resources in Mbunga

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

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

Pray for the Mbunga

  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.

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