People group profile · PG015333
The Chewa Nyanja of Malawi
The Chewa Nyanja of Malawi, numbering about 8,515,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Bantu people descended from Katanga migrants who built the Maravi Empire across central Malawi from the early 1400s to mid-1800s, governed by a Phiri-clan Kalonga holding secular power alongside a Banda-clan Makewana priestess holding ritual authority.
They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Chewa-Sena people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Chichewa.
Fast facts
- Country
- Malawi
- Population
- 8,515,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Bantu, Chewa-Sena
- Primary language
- Chichewa (nya)
- Primary religion
- Ethnoreligion
- Strategic Progress Index
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 2% or Greater but Less than 5%
- GSEC
- 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
- Lostness priority
- Minimally Reached People Group
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Chewa Nyanja are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 2% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Dispersed Church Planting
Next steps for the Chewa Nyanja
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
92% adherents
Primary language
Chichewa · Atlantic-Congo family
100% speak Chichewa
Gospel resources in Chichewa
- Bible available, published 2023
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Bibles
- 1997 Buku Loyera Version · audio
- Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero (The Word of God in Contemporary Chichewa) · video
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Chewa Nyanja
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
Nyanja, Chewa in other countries
The same people (ROP3 107548) is reported in 5 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyanja | Mozambique | 1,455,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Western Nyanja | Zambia | 853,000 | No Longer Unreached |
| Nyanja | Zimbabwe | 817,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Nyanja | Tanzania | 71,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Nyanja | Eswatini | 7,300 | No Longer Unreached |
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.