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People group profile · PG015404

The Ndau of Mozambique

The Ndau of Mozambique, numbering about 249,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Shona-related people of central Mozambique's coastal region and the Zimbabwe borderlands, first recorded by Portuguese missionaries in the 1500s and later subjugated by Nguni conquerors of the nineteenth-century Gaza kingdom.

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

Pray for the NdauPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Mozambique
Population
249,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Shona
Primary language
Ndau (ndc)
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
Region
Eastern Africa, Africa
Location
Inhambane and Gaza provinces; Manica and Sofala provinces: south of Beira

Where they live

Gospel status

The Ndau 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 Ndau

  • 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

63% adherents

Primary language

Ndau · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Ndau

Gospel resources in Ndau

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • 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 Ndau

  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

Ndau in other countries

The same people is also reported in 1 other country.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
NdauZimbabwe593,000Engaged yet Unreached

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