Understanding Our Data

Many sources, one view. Where our data comes from, how to use it, and how we protect it.

Joshua Project builds a comprehensive picture of the world's people groups by aggregating, reconciling, and presenting data from many sources. While the bulk of our data is curated from external partners, we also conduct original field research through a growing team of national and regional representatives to validate and triangulate findings. Our data supports prayer mobilization, mission strategy, research, and church engagement across the globe.

We combine demographic data (population, location, language, religion) with progress indicators (Bible translation status, church presence, evangelical percentage) to help the Body of Christ understand where the gospel has little or no access.

A few principles to keep in mind:

  • Many sources, one normalized picture. Values are estimates or ranges, not exact counts.
  • Confidence grows from agreement across many inputs, not from a single report.
  • Some data stays internal. We prioritize the safety of people and ministries over publishing everything.

Joshua Project integrates people-group data from many trusted sources, supplemented by original field research to validate and triangulate findings. We continually incorporate new information to improve accuracy and coverage.

We integrate data from:

  • Our own regional and national representatives who conduct field research to verify data and reconcile conflicting reports.
  • Researchers and research networks (global, regional, national) who study people groups, languages, and religion.
  • On-site workers and field partners, including missionaries and long-term practitioners who report from the ground.
  • Mission organizations, denominations, and affinity networks that share aggregated or approved updates.
  • Public datasets (census, government statistics) and reference compilations (ethnographies, language catalogs).
  • Web research and reviewed crowd-sourced submissions that we validate before use.

Sources and methods vary by region and topic. We document what we can and communicate uncertainty clearly so you can interpret the data with appropriate context.

It is important to understand what our data can and cannot tell you. We encourage users to read our methodology and policy documents before drawing conclusions or making decisions.

Limitations include: differing definitions (e.g. "evangelical," "people group") across sources and cultures; uneven coverage in some regions where access is limited; time lag when newer data is not yet available and we rely on older sources; shifting identities and migration, which can make counts and boundaries fluid; and security constraints. We sometimes cannot publish certain details because doing so could put people or ministries at risk.

Good to know

Population figures, progress scales, phase of engagement, and unreached or frontier labels are estimates. They reflect our best current understanding but can change as new information becomes available. Treat numbers as "Best Available Estimate" and use confidence and context when interpreting. When in doubt, use our data to orient rather than to decide, and always consider local expertise.

We encourage the use of Joshua Project data for prayer, teaching, research, and strategic planning. How you use the data matters.

Best for: Prayer mobilization and helping churches prioritize unreached peoples; guiding resource allocation and personnel deployment; teaching and raising awareness; demographic analysis; spotting gaps in gospel progress; and understanding patterns in population, language, and religion.

Apply with wisdom: When moving from high-level strategy to specific operations, always verify data with local partners or field experts. Avoid pinpointing individuals or small communities in sensitive areas, publishing exact locations, or assuming any dataset is real-time or exhaustive without on-the-ground confirmation.

Security and privacy

We take the security of people and ministries seriously. Sensitive fields are restricted, redacted, or stored separately. Access to detailed location data, worker information, and other high-risk fields is governed by review processes and use agreements.

We protect people with: restricted access to sensitive data; redaction of high-risk details before any public exposure; separation of raw inputs from what is published; and human review for narratives, locations, and media. When contributing from sensitive contexts, keep details high-level and avoid identifiers that could put anyone at risk.

Restricted access Redaction Separated inputs Review gates

You can contribute updates through connected apps (e.g., GAPP for ongoing tracking), field survey forms (for phase of engagement, gospel progress, profiles, and images), or batch CSV uploads (for periodic bulk updates). All submissions are validated, normalized, and triangulated with other sources before publication.

We protect what you share. By default, all data submissions are recorded as non-attribution; we aggregate the data and will not publish your information anywhere. If you desire, you may opt to be listed as the source for specific content, such as profile text or images.

Submit data here to see pathways, priorities, and how we process your input.

Understanding Our Data | Joshua Project
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