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People group profile · PG024040

The Azerbaijani of Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani of Azerbaijan, numbering about 9,610,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

They are an indigenous people in the Azerbaijani people cluster of the Turkic Peoples. Their primary religion is Shia Islam, and they primarily speak North Azerbaijani.

Pray for the AzerbaijaniPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Azerbaijani people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Azerbaijani

Fast facts

Country
Azerbaijan
Population
9,610,000
Affinity group
Central Asian Peoples
People cluster
Azerbaijani
Primary language
North Azerbaijani (azj)
Primary religion
Shia Islam
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
Western Asia, Asia

Where they live

Gospel status

The Azerbaijani 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 Azerbaijani

  • 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

Shia Islam · Islam

95% adherents

Primary language

North Azerbaijani · Turkic family

98% speak North Azerbaijani

Gospel resources in North Azerbaijani

  • 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 Azerbaijani

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

Download a prayer guide

Azerbaijani, Northern in other countries

The same people (ROP3 100675) is reported in 8 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
AzerbaijaniGeorgia260,000Engaged yet Unreached
AzerbaijaniKazakhstan95,000Unengaged and Unreached
AzerbaijaniUzbekistan82,000Unengaged and Unreached
AzerbaijaniTurkmenistan62,000Unengaged and Unreached
AzerbaijaniUnited States26,000Engaged yet Unreached
AzerbaijaniKyrgyzstan17,500Unengaged and Unreached
AzerbaijaniGermany15,000Engaged yet Unreached
AzerbaijaniNetherlands7,500Unengaged and Unreached

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