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People group profile · PG024602

The Uzbeks of Turkiye

The Uzbeks of Turkiye, numbering about 623,000 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 a diaspora 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 Lite: Uzbek

Fast facts

Country
Turkiye
Population
623,000
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, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Western Asia, Asia

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, 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 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

100% adherents

Primary language

Northern Uzbek · Turkic family

100% speak Northern Uzbek

Gospel resources in Northern Uzbek

  • Bible available
  • 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 Uzbeks

  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

Uzbek, Southern (Afghan Uzbek) in other countries

The same people (ROP3 110472) is reported in 3 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
UzbeksAfghanistan4,470,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksPakistan991,000Engaged yet Unreached
UzbeksUnited States27,000Engaged yet Unreached

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