 Traditional Riau Wedding Dress | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Riau •  Riau Islands •  North Sumatra •  Jambi •  Bengkulu (Indonesia) Johor •  Malacca (Malaysia) | |
 Indonesia | 2,610,890 |
 Malaysia | 116,000 |
| Languages | |
| Riau Malay, Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Malays | |
Riau Malays (Jawi: ملايو رياو, Melayu Riau) are a sub-group of Malays native to Riau and Riau Islands province on the eastern region of Sumatra. Today they only make up 29% of Riau Island population while in Riau's they still form a plurality of the population at around 45%. Riau Malays especially coastal Riau and Riau Islands share the same or similar cultural, historical and linguistic background with Johorean and Singaporean Malays due to its common origin starting from Malacca in the 15th century to as recently as Johor Empire in the 18th century.