Niger Factbook

Niger is locked in both deep poverty and the darkness of Islam. However, this land is still open for the gospel. More workers are needed to take advantage of this opportunity.

Niger is located in western Africa. It shares borders with several countries including Nigeria, Chad, and Algeria. All but the very southern part of the country is Sahara desert.

Just over 10 million people live in Niger. There are many different people groups and there has been fighting among these groups for many years.

The people of Niger are very poor. Uranium mining once brought significant income but has fallen off in recent years. Most survive on subsistence agriculture. There is little prospect for improvement in the near future.

Niger was a French colony before gaining independence in 1960. After independence, Niger suffered through a long series of military governments and coups. A peace accord in 1995 failed to hold as two more coups occurred in 1996 and 1999. The 1999 coup led to the free election of a civilian government.

The vast majority of the people are Muslim. Despite this, other groups are for the most part free to practice their religion. However, there is a growing call within the Muslim community for the imposition of Islamic law. This would effectively end religious freedom.

Traditional African religions are still practiced by approximately 2% of the people. Evangelicals are very few in number - about one tenth of 1%. Although there is an open opportunity to preach the gospel, only small numbers have been saved.

Missionaries are still needed. There are a significant number of unreached people groups. Pray for the Lord to raise up harvesters for this field. Pray that the Lord would bring revival to this land.

Some native Bible translations are available but more are needed. Christian aid ministries provide opportunities to tell people about Christ. Pray for the means to continue these important services and for fruit born from their witness.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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