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People group profile · PG024324

The Uzbeks of Uzbekistan

The Uzbeks of Uzbekistan, numbering about 28,540,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Turkic ethnolinguistic people of Central Asia whose identity emerged through a long process of interaction and integration among Turkic, Iranian, and Mongol populations in the region.

They are an indigenous people in the Uzbek people cluster of the Turkic Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Northern Uzbek.

Pray for the UzbeksPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
Uzbekistan
Population
28,540,000
Affinity group
Central Asian Peoples
People cluster
Uzbek
Primary language
Northern Uzbek (uzn)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Central Asia, Asia
Location
Widespread

Where they live

Gospel status

The Uzbeks 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 but there has been dispersed church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years Dispersed Church Planting

Next steps for the Uzbeks

  • 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

Sunni Islam · Islam

88% adherents

Primary language

Northern Uzbek · Turkic family

98% speak Northern Uzbek

Gospel resources in Northern Uzbek

  • Bible available, published 2017
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs 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 Uzbeks

  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

Uzbek, Northern in other countries

The same people (ROP3 107469) is reported in 6 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
UzbeksTajikistan2,545,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksKyrgyzstan1,075,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksTurkmenistan590,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksKazakhstan578,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksChina12,500Unengaged and Unreached
UzbeksCanada4,200Engaged yet Unreached

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