Frontier People Groups

The Most Unreached

People groups with the fewest Jesus followers often receive the least attention. The Great Commission, however, has no exceptions.

3,218

Frontier People Groups (PGAC)

1.9 Billion

People in Frontier People Groups

<0.1%

Christian adherents

Explore the Interactive Data

Bringing the Frontier Task into Clear Focus

Missions support tends to flow where the church already exists, where there are networks, trained workers, and relationships to build on. Call it relational gravity. Reaching past the familiar costs more, so the groups with the fewest Jesus followers receive the least attention.

Missions conversations often center on "unreached" peoples. Inside that group sits a smaller one with the fewest Christians of any people groups on earth, and the least ministry engagement: the Frontier People Groups. Unreached peoples have minimal gospel presence. Frontier People Groups are the outermost edge, where the least self-sustaining Christian witness exists.

What makes a people group "Frontier"?

  • Christians of any kind: 0.1% or fewer (1 in 1,000 people or less)
  • Scarce evidence of a self-sustaining church movement among the people group
  • Requires pioneer church planting strategies due to minimal Christian presence

Here's the stark reality:

71.8%

of all unreached people groups are counted as Frontier Peoples

25%

of the world's population

See the Complete List

The Numbers That Reveal Our Opportunity

The scope of frontier lostness reveals both the magnitude of our mission and the specificity of our opportunity:

Concentration Effect

The Concentration Effect

50%

of the population of all Frontier Peoples live in just 38 mega-groups

  • Each of these groups exceeds 10 million people
  • Strategic engagement here could create gospel movements that reach surrounding unreached people groups
Geographic Reality

The Geographic Reality

277

Frontier People Groups have populations over 1 million

  • The vast majority exist within the 10/40 Window
  • A small number of missionary efforts focus on these groups
Adopt a Frontier People Group

Be Part of the Solution

Adopt a Frontier People Group: for individuals, churches, networks, and organizations.

  • Decide your commitments: pray for, give towards, and connect with the work being done to engage them
  • Continue to stand in the gap for the people most in need of gospel access
Adopt a Frontier People Group

The Opportunity Hidden in the Challenge

Our greatest challenge is also our clearest opportunity. Catalyze gospel movements in those 38 mega-groups and you reach half of all Frontier Peoples.

Why Frontier Groups Matter Strategically:

Movement Potential

Gospel breakthroughs in large groups create ripple effects

Resource Efficiency

Concentrated populations offer maximum impact per worker

Network Effect

Many Frontier Groups influence surrounding unreached peoples

Completion Vision

Reaching Frontier Groups brings us closer to true gospel saturation

View Mega-Frontier Groups

The Hard Reality: Three Gaps

Prayer Gap

How much of our intercession focuses on the 1.9 Billion in Frontier People Groups?

Worker Gap

Very few mission agencies send their missionaries to Frontier Peoples.

Funding Gap

Most Christian donations go toward supporting local communities, where gospel resources are already present.

The Message of Hope Through Jesus is for All Nations, Tribes, and Tongues

Go into all the world, making disciples in every tribe, tongue, and nation. We want to see an abundance of Jesus followers everywhere. Joshua Project's goal is to highlight the people groups and places that have been overlooked, and help the world cooperate to fulfill the Great Commission task.

Explore FPGs Adopt an FPG

Your Role in Frontier Engagement

Every missions movement in history began with people who faced impossible odds and chose to humbly act in obedience. God has already given the command in Matthew 28:18-20.

A Strategic Focus: Frontier People Groups

Immediate Steps You Can Take:

Pray

Pray for Frontier People Groups with the Light of the Nations Prayer Map

Pray Daily

Pray for one group at a time with Unreached of the Day

Adopt

Stand in the gap for one group: adopt a people group

Give

Support a worker, a frontier-sending organization, or Joshua Project

Learn

Ask God for your next step: learn more about missions

Go

Consider being a sent one: go cross-culturally

For Churches:

  • 1 Adopt a specific Frontier People Group for focused prayer and engagement
  • 2 Reallocate a percentage of missions giving toward frontier-focused organizations
  • 3 Invite Joshua Project speakers to bring data-driven clarity to your missions vision
  • 4 Train your congregation to pray intelligently for the unreached using real data
Book a Speaker Adopt a People Group Explore FPGs
The Vision That Drives Us:

When Jesus returns, representatives from every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship around His throne (Revelation 7:9-10). The frontier peoples aren't optional; they're essential to completing that glorious picture.

Explore Further Resources

Dive deeper with our resource library: detailed listings, interactive maps, prayer guides, presentations, and more. These are tools to help you engage the real data and find your next step.

Learn. Share. Pray. Give. Go.

View Frontier Resources