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People group profile · PG015519

The Nama of South Africa

The Nama of South Africa, numbering about 99,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an African ethnic group of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.

They are a diaspora people in the Khoisan people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Khoekhoe.

Pray for the NamaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
South Africa
Population
99,500
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Khoisan
Primary language
Khoekhoe (naq)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Southern Africa, Africa
Location
Northern Cape province

Where they live

Gospel status

The Nama 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 Nama

  • 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

Primary language

Khoekhoe · Khoe-Kwadi family

100% speak Khoekhoe

Gospel resources in Khoekhoe

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

Films

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

Pray for the Nama

  1. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  2. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  3. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  4. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.

Download a prayer guide

Nama in other countries

The same people (ROP3 107050) is reported in 2 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
NamaNamibia146,000Unengaged and Unreached
NamaBotswana275Engaged yet Unreached

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