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

People group profile · PG015244

The Mbukushu of Botswana

The Mbukushu of Botswana, numbering about 41,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group indigenous to Southern Africa. They primarily live along the Okavango River, in regions such as Ngamiland (Botswana), the Okavango Delta, the Kavango region (Namibia), and into southern Angola and southwestern Zambia.

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

Pray for the MbukushuPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Botswana
Population
41,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Central-South
Primary language
Mbukushu (mhw)
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
Also known as
Hambukushu, Mbukushu, Gova
Region
Southern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Mbukushu 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 Mbukushu

  • 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

70% adherents

Primary language

Mbukushu · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Mbukushu

Gospel resources in Mbukushu

  • Bible available, published 1993
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

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

Pray for the Mbukushu

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

Download a prayer guide

Mbukushu in other countries

The same people (ROP3 106490) is reported in 3 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
MbukushuNamibia55,000No Longer Unreached
MbukushuAngola13,500Unengaged and Unreached
MbukushuZambia13,000No Longer Unreached

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