There are many top 10 or top 20 lists published weekly stating value or priority on topics from sports to cities to food. This top 15 list below beats them all!
Sunset on Lake Victoria at the Source of the Nile River, Uganda
The reality of this list impacts mission directors as well as missionaries and the decisions they make. In my role as the Director of Open Door Baptist Missions, I'm constantly confronted with the mission needs around the world. All one has to do is throw a dart at a world map to find a place with great spiritual needs. But resources are limited, and we must prioritize our efforts to the regions of the world that are the darkest and have the least Light. More recently, the reality of this list has impacted my wife and me personally and our decision to return to Asia as missionaries.
A Roofline at Dusk in Xi'an, China
"Unreached" is a missions term used to describe language and people groups who do not have a Bible in their language, nor do they have any Gospel preaching churches near them. In short, these are the people around the world that have probably never met a Christian and have never heard the Good News of Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection to redeem them and reconcile them to Himself.
Northern India
Here is the list of the countries with the most unreached people in the world. These countries represent some of the greatest and most urgent spiritual needs in our world today.
The Top 15 Unreached Countries (Source: Joshua Project)
Country | Unreached Population | % of Total Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | India | 1,352,887,000 | 95% |
2 | Pakistan | 237,017,000 | 99% |
3 | Indonesia | 193,937,000 | 70% |
4 | Bangladesh | 170,392,000 | 99% |
5 | China | 140,553,000 | 10% |
6 | Japan | 120,652,000 | 98% |
7 | Iran | 88,512,000 | 100% |
8 | Turkey | 85,014,000 | 99% |
9 | Nigeria | 68,296,000 | 31% |
10 | Thailand | 61,576,000 | 86% |
11 | Algeria | 45,487,000 | 100% |
12 | Sudan | 45,483,000 | 95% |
13 | Myanmar | 45,303,000 | 83% |
14 | Iraq | 44,399,000 | 95% |
15 | Afghanistan | 42,061,000 | 100% |
* ODBM is serving in 5 of the countries listed above.
Bible College Students in South Asia
OBSERVATIONS:
India is #1, and it's not even close. India has more than 5 times the number of Unreached than in (#2) Pakistan and is almost the same as all of the other countries combined. The numbers of the lost and unreached in India are immense.
All countries but one are located within the 10/40 Window, and the one (Indonesia) is just south of it. This region of the world has the least amount of mission resources and the most resistant to foreign missionaries.
These countries represent the greatest opposition to the Gospel and the most intense evil on the planet, including human trafficking and the persecution of believers.
A Market in China
We need and appreciate your prayers as ODBM continues to launch and develop mission efforts in the 10/40 Window. Pray for God's provision and wisdom as we assist and partner with Asian churches to send Asian missionaries to these desperate regions of the world. Pray with us for God's wisdom, protection, and provision to serve and assist those on the front lines to reach the Unreached!
Thanks for partnering with us,
Dave - ODBM Director