People group profile · PG050530
The Alak Sanak of Laos
The Alak Sanak of Laos, numbering about 5,100 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an indigenous Alak subgroup living in six villages of Lamam District, Sekong Province, whose Sanak language remains in community use alongside Lao.
They are an indigenous people in the Mon-Khmer people cluster of the Southeast Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Alak.

Fast facts
- Country
- Laos
- Population
- 5,100
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Mon-Khmer
- Primary language
- Alak (alk)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- 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
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Sekong province, La Mam district: 6 villages
Where they live
Gospel status
The Alak Sanak 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 Alak Sanak
- 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
Animism · Ethnoreligion
99% adherents
Primary language
Alak · Austroasiatic family
60% speak Alak
Gospel resources in Alak
- Bible not available
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Alak Sanak
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
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