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People group profile · PG015264

The Tswana of Botswana

The Tswana of Botswana, numbering about 2,110,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a large ethnic group living in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Sotho-Tswana people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Tswana.

Pray for the TswanaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Botswana
Population
2,110,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Sotho-Tswana
Primary language
Tswana (tsn)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
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
Southern Africa, Africa
Location
Widespread

Where they live

Gospel status

The Tswana 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 Tswana

  • 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

Ethnoreligion

50% adherents

Primary language

Tswana · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Tswana

Gospel resources in Tswana

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings 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 Tswana

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

Download a prayer guide

Tswana in other countries

The same people (ROP3 110225) is reported in 3 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
TswanaSouth Africa4,240,000Engaged yet Unreached
TswanaZimbabwe94,500Engaged yet Unreached
TswanaNamibia6,600Engaged yet Unreached

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