People Group Profiles

“All nations will come and worship before you."

- Revelations 15:4

Ethiopian, Oromo of North America


People Group Info

Total Population: 37,745

ROP3 Code: 103545
IMB Affinity Group: North African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Affinity Bloc: Horn of Africa
People Cluster: Oromo
Language: West Central Oromo - (gaz)
Religion: Ethnic Religions
Country of Origin: Ethiopia

Photo courtesy of Joshua Project.
By MANI

Majority Located Where

  Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC - 25,000

  Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX - 3,100

  Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO - 2,000

  Toronto (Mississauga, Brampton), ON - 725

  Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC - 500

Click here to recommend other locations where this People Group resides.

Learn More

Brief Profile

The Ethiopian Oromo people originated from Ethiopia. The majority of Oromo people in North America arrived the late 1990s, following the Eritrean–Ethiopian War.

Oromo, the language of the Oromo, shows its Semitic origin both in its alphabet and words shared with Hebrew and Arabic.

Since its introduction in the fourth century and the establishment of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Christianity has been a part of everyday life in Ethiopia. In fact, their ethnic identity is intrinsically tied to their religious identity. The majority of Ethiopian Oromo are Coptic Orthodox Christians. A smaller percentage are Muslim.

Ethiopian coffee, enjoyed throughout the world, is the Ethiopia’s main export. A good connection point with an owner or another worker in an Ethiopian restaurant in the United States is enjoying their food and asking to have a coffee ceremony, a treat in itself especially if the burning of frankincense is a part of the ceremony.

Prayer Points

  • Pray God will send Christians to minister to the felt needs of Oromo.
  • Pray Christians will share a contextualized message of the gospel and plant churches among the Oromo.


Learning Resources

Learn more about "Learning Paths"
Online Courses for embracing, encountering and engaging diaspora people. Work at your own pace. Begin anytime and complete the course according to your schedule. Interactive, Hands-On Application.

Learn more about "Reaching the Nations"
This book delineates five disciplines Christians should develop in order to effectively reach the nations. More specifically, it will guide Christians to develop an engagement strategy in their locale.

World Religions - Beliefs Overview
An overview of major world religions and cults - their beliefs and practices.


Other Resources

Prayer Guide for Unreached Peoples
A 30 day guide to pray for unreached people groups.

Prayer Guide using the GOSPELS acronym
A prayer guide that utilizes the acronym GOSPELS to pray for workers among diaspora.

Displaying 1-10 of 10 results.
Country City Metro Area Name State / Prov. Baseline Population
United StatesWashingtonWashington-Arlington-AlexandriaDC25,000
United StatesDallasDallas-Fort Worth-ArlingtonTX3,000
United StatesDenverDenver-Aurora-LakewoodCO2,000
CanadaTorontoToronto (Mississauga, Brampton)ON725
United StatesCharlotteCharlotte-Concord-GastoniaNC500
United StatesRiversideKansas CityMO220
United StatesLouisvilleLouisville/Jefferson CountyKY200
United StatesSouthlakeDallas-Fort Worth-ArlingtonTX100
United StatesOverland ParkKansas CityKS40
United StatesJefferson CityJefferson CityMO8