Understanding unreached people groups and their significance is crucial in fulfilling the Great Commission. The Unreached People Groups Priority Matrix is a valuable tool for prioritizing efforts and maximizing impact. Let us embrace the call to reach the unreached and ensure that the message of hope reaches every unreached people group God has brought to North America. Together, we can make a difference.
Understanding unreached people groups and their significance is crucial in fulfilling the Great Commission. The Unreached People Groups Priority Matrix is a valuable tool for prioritizing efforts and maximizing impact. Let us embrace the call to reach the unreached and ensure that the message of hope reaches every unreached people group God has brought to North America. Together, we can make a difference.
In any area of concentration, specialized terms work their way into our vocabulary. To someone new to missions, there are likely terms used on UPGNorthAmerica.com that need defining. Here are a few of those terms and definitions.
Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another, whether within a country or across international borders. It is a complex phenomenon with a long history, and there are many different reasons why people choose to migrate. Those who have migrated...
Diaspora missions refers to efforts by evangelical Christian groups or organizations to engage with and share the gospel message with migrant communities living outside their countries of origin. This involves evangelism, discipleship, and church planting to bring...
The topic of an unreached people group (UPG) has become a central talking point in mission circles in the last few decades. The term has been a healthy contribution to defining the task and tracking the progress of the Great Commission. For many, there still needs to...
In the garden, Adam and Eve, the parents of all nations, were in the presence of God. God commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it as God’s image bearers (Gen 1:28). Although they chose to disobey God by eating from the forbidden tree....
It is bitter-sweet when something of significance comes to an end. During Ramadan, Muslims spend time alongside friends and family fasting, attending the mosque, and doing good deeds. For many Muslims, the most spiritual and communal time of the year is Ramadan. Yet,...
What does Christmas mean to you? For me, I think of feasts with my friends and family. I think of a month when time stands still, and everyone celebrates. Christmas music, décor, and events permeate my life. I feel like God has come close to me, and I feel close to...
The month of February has many different holidays that celebrate various events, themes, and cultures. One thing all of those holidays have in common is the word "care." Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you,...
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 8,115 people whose ethnic origin was Yemeni. The 2019 American Community Survey counted 58,627 people born in Yemen now living in the United States. Counting U.S.-born children and typical undercounts of Arabs in the census, it is safe to assume there are at least 100,000 Yemenis in North America. The Wikipedia article on Yemeni Americans claims "there are an estimated 100,000-200,000 Yemenis living in the United States as of 2018,” but no source is given for that statistic.
The Congress of Bosniaks of North America estimate 300,000 Bosniaks live in the United States and 50,000 in Canada.
The America Community Survey 2019 estimated 182,951 people reporting Somali ancestry in the United States. Statistics Canada 2021 estimated 65,555 people o Somali ethnic origin in Canada. Census figures tend to undercount groups like Somalis, who are suspicious of government authorities and census takers. Community estimates of Somalis in the Greater Toronto and Edmonton areas alone number 100,000. An estimated 300,000 Somalis in North America is a conservative estimate, and their population number could be much higher.
In the 2021 Canada census, 771,790 Sikhs were estimated to live in Canada. The United States does not count religious affiliation in its census, and the language of Punjabi is also spoken by Hindus and Muslims, which makes "language spoken at home" a difficult category for measuring Sikhs. However, the 2012 Pew Religious Survey indicates 5% of Indian Americans are Sikh. The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 4,240,466 Asian Indians living in the United States, and 5% of that population equals 212,023. The Sikh America Coalition, however, estimates 500,000 Sikhs living in the United States. Therefore, low estimates of Sikhs in North America are around 900,000 with high estimates around 1.5 million.
The diversity of the people groups who identify as Afghans contributes to the difficulty of using census information to estimate the number of Afghans in North America. The American Community Survey 2019 counted 156,434 people in the United States with "Afghan" ancestry. However, some Afghans would identify their ancestry as Tajik, Pashtun, and so forth. Statistics Canada 2021 counted 96,810 people with Ethnic Origin as Afghan, 9,825 as Pashtun, and 5,890 as Tajik. So, adding those numbers together gives a good idea of a low estimate of the number of Afghans in Canada. Allied Media Corporation, which has worked extensively with the Afghan American Community, estimates 300,000 Afghans live in the United States. With adding Canada's number, a reasonable estimate of Afghans in North America is 400,000 people.
A 2019 BBC article estimated 40,000 Kurds in the United States, as did a much earlier NBC News Report. A 2009 Kurdish Herald aricle estimated 50,000 Iraqi Kurds were living in the United States. The estimates of Kurds we have found in various cities seem to coincide with the more conservative 40,000 number. However, many Kurds from Turkey mix into the Turkish population and are harder to identify. Statistics Canada 2021 estimated 23,130 people in Canada had a Kurdish Ethnic Origin.
The Turkish Coalition of America gives a conservative community estimate of 350,000 Turks in the United States. According to American Community Survey 2019, 212,489 people with Turkish ancestry were estimated to live in the United States. Statistics Canada 2021 reported 76,745 of Turkish ethnic origin.
Pakistan makes up the largest single country of origin of Muslims in North America, with 472,610 (2019 ACS 5-yr Asian Alone) reside in the United States and 303,260 (Statistics Canada 2021) in Canada.
Statistically, it is estimated that 370,000 Indo-Pak Muslims in North America originated of Indian descent. 399,575 reside in the United States and 76,143 reside in Canada. A Pew Research study found that 10% of Indian descent in North America identify as Muslim. It is by using this 10% and total Indian population numbers that the Indo-Pak Muslims from India are calculated.
According to the American Community Survey and the Senegalese-American Association estimates listed in articles in previous years, it is safe to assume there are at least 60,000 Wolof in North America. The previous population and community estimates have listed the Wolof population around 20,000 within NYC and Statistics Canada 2021 estimated the Wolof population at 5,000 for Canada. Wolof also live in Chicago, Seattle, Raleigh, Montreal, etc. Information from Peoplegroups.org lists the population around 66,000.
20% of all Indians in the United States are from Gujarat state. According to the 2019 5-yr table ACS Census Data, there are 4,240,466 Indians in the United States. Statistically, there are approximately 848,093 Gujaratis in the United States. The 2021 Statistics Canada indicates that 92,005 speak Gujarati in the home.
The U.S. Census American Community Survey 2019 estimated 3,995,755 people with Asian Indian ancestry in the U.S. Pew Research indicates that 36% of all Indian descent population in the U.S. identify as Hindi. Therefore the estimate of Asian Indians who identify as Hindi is 1,438,472. Statistics Canada 2021 counted 761,425 Hindi Knowledge of Language in Canada. According to several articles, approximately 55% of Indian Hindi Speakers consider Hindi their second or third choice of language. Based on this research, 45% of the total KOL are native Hindi speakers. The number from Statistics Canada 2021 was multiplied by this percentage to calculate the Canadian population of 342,641 people. There are approximately 1,781,000 Asian Indians who identify as Hindi in North America. Using census information instead of community estimates helps compare populations of people groups in various cities. However, the population is likely larger than this number.
According to the 2019 American Community Survey 1-yr Place of Birth, 65,126 Uzbek people are estimated to live in the United States. The Canadian census does not list Uzbekistan as a place of birth, but according to 2021 Statistics Canada 3,290 claim Knowledge of Language. Using census information instead of community estimates helps compare populations of people groups in various cities. However, the population is likely larger than the total of 68,416.
The 2019 American Community Survey 1-yr Place of Birth table indicates there are 132,477 born in Israel living in the US. The 2021 Statistics Canada indicates there are 35,345 people of Israeli ethnic origin. Community estimates are often much higher than these official census counts.
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 99,980 people whose ethnic origin is Moroccan. There are around 10,000 Moroccan Jews in Montreal which is likely included in this number, resulting in 89,980 Moroccan Muslims. The 2022 American Community Survey 5-yr estimate counted 130,410 people with Moroccan ancestry in the United States. According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations are undercounted by 79.56 percent in the US. Using this percentage and the number from the American Community Survey, the total living in the United States is 233,679. The Moroccan population in North America is approximately 323,700. .
According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations are undercounted by 79.56 percent in the United States. This percentage and the total Arab population from the American Community Survey 2019 1-year estimates there are 317,000 people of Iraqi origin in the US. The 2021 Statistics Canada reported 59,300 Iraqis in Canada. According to the 2011 National Household Survery, 46% of the people of Iraqi origin in Canada are Muslim resulting in an estimated 27,278 Iraqi Arabs in Canada. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine the exact number of Iraqi Arabs in North America. Actual numbers are likely much higher.
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 30,465 people whose ethnic origin was Tunisian. The 2019 American Community Survey does not count Tunisians. Based on this article published in a Tunisian magazine, the number of Tunisians living in North America in 2016 was 44,195. We assume that the number has increased since then and approximate the number of Tunisian Arabs living in North America to be around 80,000.
The 2019 American Community Survey counted 139,398 people of Palestinian ancestry. A report by the Arab American Institute showed that the Arab populations in the US are undercounted by 179.56% and approximately 67% are Muslim resulting in approximately 168,000 living in the US. Statistics Canada 2021 counted 45,905 people whose ethnic origin was Palestinian.
According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations are undercounted by 79.56 percent in the United States. According to Pew Research approximately 40% of Epyptians in the US are Muslim. Approximately 44% of Canadian Egyptians are Muslims. These percentages and the total Arab population from the American Community Survey 2019 1-year estimates and 2021 Statistics Canada provide the most accurate estimate while excluding Egyptian Coptics. There are approximately 201,000 Egyptian Arabs in the US and 46,000 in Canada.
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 200,465 people whose ethnic origin was Iranian. The 2019 American Community Survey counted 385,473 people of ethnic Persians living in the United States. Using census information instead of community estimates helps compare populations of people groups in various cities. However, the p is likely larger than the number given.
In the late 1990s and 2000s, the US resettled around 12,000 Somali Bantu from refugee camps through the UNCHR program. The population is likely much higher than 12,000 since many of the refugees were young and have since started families of their own.
The 2019 1-year United States American Community Survey census data reported 199,908 people reporting Albanian ancestry. Statistics Canada 2021 census data reported 41,625 people indicating Albanian ethnic origin. These numbers were multiplied by 0.80 to get a more accurate number of those identifying as Muslim. Census data provides a baseline population estimate, but numbers are likely much higher.
According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations are undercounted by 79 percent in the United States. According to Canadian Arab Institute Research, approximately 32% of the Lebanese population is Muslim. These percentages and the 2019 American Community Survey and the total Lebanese population from the American Community Survey 2019 1-year Ancestry table and 2021 Statistics Canada provide the most accurate estimates while excluding the number of Lebanese Christians. There are approximately 276,814 Lebanese Muslims in the US and 67,394 in Canada.
According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations in the US are undercounted by 79 percent in the United States. Prior to 2012, approximately 70% of Syrian immigrants to North America were Christian. Since 2012, the majority of Syrians coming to North America are Muslim refugees. Using these percentages and information from the American Community Survey and Statistics Canada provides the most accurate estimates while excluding the number of Syrian Christians. There are approximately 157,203 Syrian Arab Muslims in the US and 63,921 in Canada.
Statistics Canada 202 indicated 75,245 people reported ethnic origin was Bangladeshi. The 2019 5-yr American Community Survey Asian Alone table reported 177,778 Bangladeshis now living in the United States. Using census information instead of community estimates helps compare populations of people groups in various cities. However, the number of Bangladeshis in North America is likley highter than the number listed.
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 13,225 people whose ethnic origin is Jordanian. Approximately 44% of Jordanians in Canada are Muslim resulting in around 5,800 Jordanian Muslims. The 2019 American Community Survey counted 93,085 people with Jordanian ancestry. According to the Arab American Institute Foundation, Arab populations undercounted by 79.56 percent. Using this percentage and the number from the American Community Survey, the total living in the United States is 50,000. The Jordanian Muslim population in North America is approximately 55,800.
The U.S. Census American Community Survey 2021 (Asian Alone) estimated 51,735 people with Sri Lankan ancestry in the U.S. According to Joshua Project, approximately 75% of Sri Lankans in the US are Sinhalese. Therefore the estimate of Sri Lankans who identify as Sinhalese is 38,418. Statistics Canada 2021 counted 33,050 with Knowledge of Language in Canada. Approximately 72,000 Sri Lankans identify as Sinhalese in North America. Using census information instead of community estimates helps compare populations of people groups in various cities. However, the population is likely larger than this number.
Statistics Canada 2021 estimates that there are 282,015 people who claim a Jewish ethnic origin. The US Community Survey does not include Jewish as an ethnicity. Based on several articles, the Moroccan Jewish community in North America is estimated at 52,000. Approximately 27,000 live in Canada and 25,000 in the United States.
Joshua project reports globally 7,254,400 Kabyle Berbers globally. Using Knowledge of Language and Ethnic Origin from the 2021 Statistics Canada Data calculates an estimated 36,414 Kabyle Berbers live in Canada.
Calculation = KOL Kabyle Berber/Total Berber = 0.87 x Ethnic Origin
The number of Soninke is difficult to gauge because of their origins from several different countries, insufficient census data because many are undocumented, etc. However, field research in Cincinnati and New York City have shown the Soninke are large enough to have their own social institutions, even organized by town and region, and they have their own festivals, mosques, etc. In places like the Bronx, large project buildings can be almost completely full of Soninke people, creating virtual villages in the city.
Statistics Canada 2021 counted 73,770 people whose ethnic origin was Algerian. The US Census does not count Algerians in the American Community Survey. The Algerian Embassy in Washington estimates that there are 50,000 Algerians in the US.
Based on interactions with the Gambian Association of America, there are around 5,000 Mandinka in New York City and an estimated 5,000 throughout the rest of North America in cities such as Chicago, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
Census data for West African populations like the Fouta Toora do not exist; therefore, numbers are based on estimates from workers or organizations in the United States and Canada. These numbers are likely higher than the estimates given by workers or organizations.
Statistics Canada 2021 estimates that there are 282,015 people who claim a Jewish ethnic origin. The US Community Survey does not include Jewish as an ethnicity. The Persian Jewish Community in North America is made up of Mashadi and Tehrani Jews. Based on several articles, the Mashadi Jewish community in North America is estimated between 5,000-7,000. The Tehrani Persian Jewish Community is larger and estimated at 60,000 members.
The population of Bambara is difficult to estimate, but based on numbers from the Joshua Project, there are approximately 18,600 Bambara in North America. Other sources verify this range estimate.
The population of Bambara is difficult to estimate, but based on numbers from the Joshua Project, there are approximately 18,600 Bambara in North America. Other sources verify this range estimate.