People group profile · PG041479
The Yenadi of India
The Yenadi of India, numbering about 804,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Nellore, Chittoor, and Prakasam districts, Andhra Pradesh, originally natives of Sriharikota island before resettlement for the space program. Agriculture and agricultural labor remain their main occupations.
They are an indigenous people in the South Asian Tribal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Telugu.

Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 804,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- South Asian Tribal
- Primary language
- Telugu (tel)
- Primary religion
- Folk Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- concentrated in Andhra Pradesh; distributed in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, and West Bengal
Where they live
Gospel status
The Yenadi 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 initial or concentrated church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Concentrated Church Planting
Next steps for the Yenadi
- 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
Folk Hinduism · Hinduism
99% adherents
Primary language
Telugu · Dravidian family
100% speak Telugu
Gospel resources in Telugu
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Films
- Magdalena (Telugu)
- The Savior (Telugu)
Bibles
- Contemporary Version · video
- Contemporary Version - LUMO Christmas Film · video
- Contemporary Version - LUMO Easter Film · video
- Easy to Read Version · audio, text
- Grace Ministries · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Yenadi
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
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