The Djiboutian Arabs of Djibouti

The Djiboutian Arabs of Djibouti, numbering approximately 79,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Djibouti. Djiboutian Arabs are largely descendants of Yemeni migrants, especially from the Tihama and Taiz regions, who arrived during the French colonial period to work in construction, trade, and agriculture. They are an Diaspora people, in the Arab, Yemeni people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Shia. They primarily speak Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni.

Yemini Arabs in Canada photo
Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Arab, Djiboutian

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Djibouti
People Cluster: Arab, Yemeni
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni (acq)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Shia
Population: 79,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011483
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Djiboutian Arabs of Djibouti

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: Islam - Shia
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Shia Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

%
Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni Speakers

Bible Resources in Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni:

Or check out the Arabic, Ta’izzi-Adeni bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Djiboutian Arabs

The Djiboutian Arabs are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Djiboutian Arabs

The Djiboutian Arabs are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Djiboutian Arabs

The Djiboutian Arabs 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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Djiboutian Arabs of Djibouti

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
readGenesis 3:15

Pray that those without Christ will hear the words of Genesis 1-3 in their own language, and desire to know their Creator and His provision of salvation.

“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name."
readIsaiah 65:1

Pray that the lost will be found by God, even when they are not seeking Him. Pray that He will reveal Himself to them in a way they cannot ignore and that they will respond in faith.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
readPsalm 62:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be in awe of Jesus, remembering that He is their rock, their fortress, and their salvation.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
readPsalm 67:1-2

Pray that as God blesses believers from among this people group or from nearby cultures, He will raise them up to share His saving power among the nations.

Arab, Yemeni (ROP3 - 109729) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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