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

People group profile · PG015338

The Portuguese of Malawi

The Portuguese of Malawi, numbering about 21,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Southwestern European people native to Portugal whose culture has been shaped by Atlantic maritime traditions, the Iberian environment, Roman and medieval influences, Roman Catholic heritage, and centuries of overseas exploration and global exchange.

They are a diaspora people in the Portuguese, European people cluster of the Eurasian Peoples. Their primary religion is Roman Catholicism, and they primarily speak Portuguese.

Pray for the PortuguesePrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Malawi
Population
21,500
Affinity group
European Peoples
People cluster
Portuguese, European
Primary language
Portuguese (por)
Primary religion
Roman Catholicism
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 Portuguese 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 Portuguese

  • 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

Roman Catholicism · Christianity

95% adherents

Primary language

Portuguese · Indo-European family

100% speak Portuguese

Gospel resources in Portuguese

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

Films

Bibles

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

Pray for the Portuguese

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

Download a prayer guide

Portuguese in other countries

The same people (ROP3 108129) is reported in 19 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
PortuguesePortugal9,530,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseSouth Africa1,090,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseFrance984,000No Longer Unreached
PortugueseUnited States863,000No Longer Unreached
PortugueseCanada309,000No Longer Unreached
PortugueseSwitzerland269,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseVenezuela241,000No Longer Unreached
PortugueseUnited Kingdom177,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseGermany143,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseLuxembourg103,000Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseSpain93,500Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseBelgium56,500Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseMozambique28,500Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseArgentina18,000No Longer Unreached
PortugueseZimbabwe15,500Engaged yet Unreached
PortugueseAndorra11,500Unengaged and Unreached
PortugueseMacao10,500No Longer Unreached
PortugueseGuinea-Bissau6,600Unengaged and Unreached
PortugueseZambia3,900Engaged yet Unreached

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