January Prayer Journey Around the World
Are you looking for a way to incorporate geography, culture study, and compassion in a quick 10-minute daily homeschool lesson? Try praying your way around the world! Your kids will learn where countries are located, basic demographics of each country, and most importantly, develop compassion for and interest in people around the world. Make it a homeschool project to pray for every country in the world in one year.
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Pray for Countries of the World Homeschool Project
There are currently 195 recognized countries in the world, but this list includes Taiwan and Kosovo for a total of 197 countries.
To pray for every country in one year, you’ll need to pray for 16-17 countries each month. I’ve assigned the countries alphabetically to each month of the year. However, by praying for one country every weekday you can actually cover every country over the course of a school year if your summers are hectic and you prefer to organize it that way.
You can download my free calendar for January to pray for countries of the world, along with a few questions for your kids to learn a little bit more about a country of their choice.
Countries of the World to Pray for in January
There are 17 countries assigned to pray for in January. You can pray through one country each weekday and get through them even if you take New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King, Jr holiday off.
1 // Afghanistan
Locate Afghanistan on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: earthquakes, flooding, drought
Religion: 99.7% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 39.8%
15-64 years old: 57.35%
65 years and over: 2.85%
Median age: 19.5 years old
Find additional information about Afghanistan from The World Factbook/Afghanistan
Specific prayer needs for Afghanistan: Operation World/Afghanistan
2 // Albania
Locate Albania on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, drought
Religion: 56.7% Muslim, 10% Catholic, 6.8% Orthodox
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 17.9%
15-64 years old: 67.53%
65 years and over: 14.57%
Median age: 34.3 years old
Find additional information about Albania from The World Factbook/Albania
Specific prayer needs for Albania: Operation World/Albania
3 // Algeria
Locate Algeria on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: earthquakes, mudslides, flooding, drought
Religion: 99% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 28.78%
15-64 years old: 64.29%
65 years and over: 6.93%
Median age: 28.9 years old
Find additional information about Algeria from The World Factbook/Algeria
Specific prayer needs for Algeria: Operation World/Algeria
4 // Andorra
Locate Andorra on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: avalanches
Religion: 89.5% Christian, mostly Catholic
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 12.31%
15-64 years old: 68.17%
65 years and over: 19.52%
Median age: 46.2 years old
Find additional information about Andorra from The World Factbook/Andorra
Specific prayer needs for Andorra: Operation World/Andorra
5 // Angola
Locate Angola on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: flooding
Religion: 41% Catholic, 38% Protestant
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 47.18%
15-64 years old: 50.49%
65 years and over: 2.33%
Median age: 15.9 years old
Find additional information about Angola from The World Factbook/Angola
Specific prayer needs for Angola: Operation World/Angola
6 // Antigua & Barbuda
Locate Antigua & Barbuda on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms, drought
Religion: 68% Protestant, 8% Catholic
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 21.97%
15-64 years old: 67.94%
65 years and over: 10.09%
Median age: 32.7 years old
Find additional information about Antigua & Barbuda from The World Factbook/Antigua & Barbuda
Specific prayer needs for Antigua & Barbuda: Operation World/Antigua & Barbuda
7 // Argentina
Locate Argentina on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: earthquakes, windstorms, flooding, volcanic activity
Religion: 63% Catholic, 15% Evangelical
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 23.51%
15-64 years old: 63.83%
65 years and over: 12.66%
Median age: 32.4 years old
Find additional information about Argentina from The World Factbook/Argentina
Specific prayer needs for Argentina: Operation World/Argentina
8 // Armenia
Locate Armenia on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: earthquakes, drought
Religion: 93% Armenian Apostolic Christian
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 17.98%
15-64 years old: 67.53%
65 years and over: 14.49%
Median age: 36.6 years old
Find additional information about Armenia from The World Factbook/Armenia
Specific prayer needs for Armenia: Operation World/Armenia
9 // Australia
Locate Australia on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: cyclones, drought, forest fires
Religion: 20% Catholic, 18% Protestant, 38% none
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 18.43%
15-64 years old: 64.89%
65 years and over: 16.69%
Median age: 37.5 years old
Find additional information about Australia from The World Factbook/Australia
Specific prayer needs for Australia: Operation World/Australia
10 // Austria
Locate Austria on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: landslides, avalanches, earthquakes
Religion: 55% Catholic, 8% Muslim, 22% none
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 14.08%
15-64 years old: 65.11%
65 years and over: 20.81%
Median age: 44.5 years old
Find additional information about Austria from The World Factbook/Austria
Specific prayer needs for Austria: Operation World/Austria
11 // Azerbaijan
Locate Azerbaijan on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: drought
Religion: 97% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 21.78%
15-64 years old: 69.64%
65 years and over: 8.58%
Median age: 32.6 years old
Find additional information about Azerbaijan from The World Factbook/Azerbaijan
Specific prayer needs for Azerbaijan: Operation World/Azerbaijan
12 // Bahamas
Locate The Bahamas on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: hurricanes
Religion: 70% Protestant, 12% Catholic
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 21.37%
15-64 years old: 68.8%
65 years and over: 9.83%
Median age: 32.8 years old
Find additional information about The Bahamas from The World Factbook/Bahamas
Specific prayer needs for The Bahamas: Operation World/Bahamas
13 // Bahrain
Locate Bahrain on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: drought, dust storms
Religion: 74% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 18.14%
15-64 years old: 77.83%
65 years and over: 4.03%
Median age: 32.9 years old
Find additional information about Bahrain from The World Factbook/Bahrain
Specific prayer needs for Bahrain: Operation World/Bahrain
14 // Bangladesh
Locate Bangladesh on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: drought, cyclones
Religion: 88% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 25.38%
15-64 years old: 67.09%
65 years and over: 7.53%
Median age: 27.9 years old
Find additional information about Bangladesh from The World Factbook/Bangladesh
Specific prayer needs for Bangladesh: Operation World/Bangladesh
15 // Barbados
Locate Barbados on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: landslides, infrequent hurricanes
Religion: 66% Protestant, 21% none
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 16.78%
15-64 years old: 67.56%
65 years and over: 15.66%
Median age: 39.5 years old
Find additional information about Barbados from The World Factbook/Barbados
Specific prayer needs for Barbados: Operation World/Barbados
16 // Belarus
Locate Belarus on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: marshy lands
Religion: 48% Orthodox, 41% none
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 15.83%
15-64 years old: 66.81%
65 years and over: 17.36%
Median age: 40.9 years old
Find additional information about Belarus from The World Factbook/Belarus
Specific prayer needs for Belarus: Operation World/Belarus
17 // Belgium
Locate Belgium on a world map or globe
Natural hazards: flooding
Religion: 57% Catholic, 20% none, 9% atheist, 7% Muslim
Age of Population:
0-14 years old: 17.03%
15-64 years old: 63.06%
65 years and over: 19.91%
Median age: 41.6 years old
Find additional information about Belgium from The World Factbook/Belgium
Specific prayer needs for Belgium: Operation World/Belgium
Scripture to Pray for Countries of the World
In addition to praying for the specific government leaders, missionaries, aid organizations, and most importantly, that individual people in each country would accept the good news of Jesus Christ, you can use scripture to pray for the world.
Pray for all the earth to worship God…
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
Psalm 22:27
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
Psalm 86:9
I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts 26:17-18
Pray for missionaries and Christians living in these countries to share their faith…
Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ.
Colossians 4:3
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4
Additional Resources to Pray for Countries of the World
(Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I use and love or would love to use! For full disclosure details, click here.)
If your kids develop a passion around praying specifically for unreached people groups, or simply learning more about the diverse people who share this planet, below are a few resources to consider.
Joshua Project: website focusing on the people groups who have the fewest numbers of Christians
Window on the World (younger kids) and Operation World (older kids to adult) books highlighting a variety of countries and people groups.
Praying for the World: Fun-Schooling Prayer and Research Journal
Psalms Prayers for the Nations: scripture-based prayers for missionaries, Bible translators, and people who need to hear the gospel.
World map and globe: help your kids visualize where the countries are located, especially in relation to where you live.
Scratch-off map: allows kids to scratch off the foil covering and track your prayer journey around the world
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