The Ilocano of Philippines

The Ilocano of Philippines, numbering approximately 10,690,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Austronesian people of northwestern Luzon whose homeland centers on the Ilocos region and whose history is marked by migration, trade, and settlement across much of the northern Philippines while maintaining a distinct Ilocano identity. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Iloko is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Ilocano

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Philippines
People Cluster: Filipino, Central
Primary Language(s): Iloko (ilo)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 10,690,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007684
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Ilocano of Philippines

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

60%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Iloko
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Ilocano Speakers

Media Resources in Iloko:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Iloko:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Revised Ilokano Popular Version✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Iloko bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Ilocano are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Ilocano:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Ilocano of Philippines

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
readPsalm 1:6

As many look for hope in worldly pleasures, pray they will hear and accept salvation through Christ, turn from destruction, and experience joy in the way of righteousness.

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.
readMatthew 13:8-9

Pray that they will have open hearts and minds to the Word of God, and that it will take root in their lives and bear fruit for His glory.

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
readPsalm 51:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have confidence that God has turned His face from their sins and forgiven their iniquities.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
read1 Corinthians 9:22

Ask God to raise up believers from around the world to go and share the hope of Jesus with the lost so that they might trust in Him and have the hope of eternal life.

Ilocano Across Countries (ROP3 - 103997) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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