People group profile · PG043767
The Eastern Pashtuns of Afghanistan
The Eastern Pashtuns of Afghanistan, numbering about 2,810,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Eastern Iranian ethnolinguistic group indigenous to southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.
They are an indigenous people in the Pashtun people cluster of the Persian-Median Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Northern Pashto.
Fast facts
- Country
- Afghanistan
- Population
- 2,810,000
- Affinity group
- Central Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Pashtun
- Primary language
- Northern Pashto (pbu)
- 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
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Nangarhar province and surrounding regions
Where they live
Gospel status
The Eastern Pashtuns 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 Eastern Pashtuns
- 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 Pashto · Indo-European family
100% speak Northern Pashto
Gospel resources in Northern Pashto
- Bible available
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Pashto, Yusufzai)
- JESUS (Pashto, Eastern Afghan)
- Magdalena (Pashto, Eastern Afghan)
- Magdalena (Pashto, Yusufzai)
- The Savior (Pashto, Eastern Afghan)
Bibles
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Eastern Pashtuns
- 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.
Pashtun, Northern in other countries
The same people (ROP3 107909) is reported in 5 other countries.
| People group | Country | Population | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pashtuns | Pakistan | 19,220,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Northern Pashtuns | United Arab Emirates | 662,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Northern Pashtuns | Canada | 33,500 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Northern Pashtuns | United States | 25,000 | Engaged yet Unreached |
| Northern Pashtuns | Turkiye | 6,700 | Engaged yet Unreached |
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