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People group profile · PG015276

The Malays of Comoros

The Malays of Comoros, numbering about 1,100 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a community descended from Malayo-Polynesian seafarers, recently traced to Borneo's Banjar people, who reached Comoros as early as the 5th or 6th century CE in the same wave that settled Madagascar, later mixing with Arab, Persian, and African populations.

They are an indigenous people in the Malay people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Malay (individual language).

Pray for the MalaysPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Comoros
Population
1,100
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Malay
Primary language
Malay (individual language) (zlm)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Eastern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Malays 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 Malays

  • 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

Sunni Islam · Islam

99% adherents

Primary language

Malay (individual language) · Austronesian family

100% speak Malay (individual language)

Gospel resources in Malay (individual language)

  • 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 Malays

  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

Malay in other countries

The same people (ROP3 106144) is reported in 9 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
MalaysMalaysia13,670,000Engaged yet Unreached
MalaysSingapore745,000Engaged yet Unreached
MalaysSri Lanka73,500Unengaged and Unreached
MalaysUnited Kingdom56,000Engaged yet Unreached
MalaysMyanmar27,000Unengaged and Unreached
MalaysAustralia21,500Engaged yet Unreached
MalaysCanada11,500Unengaged and Unreached
MalaysUnited States10,500Unengaged and Unreached
MalaysMayotte325Engaged yet Unreached

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