Malaysian Malays

This article is about ethnic Malays in Malaysia. For the standard language in Malaysia, see Malaysian Malay.

Malaysian Malays
Orang Melayu Malaysia
ملايو مليسيا‎
Malay children playing Tarik Upih Pinang, a traditional game that involves dragging a palm frond
Total population
17,610,458
57.9% of the Malaysian population (2023)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia
Languages
Malayic languages (Numerous vernacular Malay varieties) • Standard Malay • English • Arabic
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups

Malaysian Malays (Malay: Orang Melayu Malaysia, Jawi: ملايو مليسيا‎) are Malaysians of Malay ethnicity whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the Malay world. According to the 2023 population estimate, with a total population of 17.6 million, Malaysian Malays form 57.9% of Malaysia's demographics, the largest ethnic group in the country. They can be broadly classified into two main categories; Anak Jati (indigenous Malays or local Malays) and Anak Dagang (trading Malays or foreign Malays).[2][3]

The Anak Jati or native Malays consist of those individuals who adhere to the Malay culture native to the coastal areas of Malay Peninsula and Borneo.[3] Among notable groups include the Bruneians, Kedahans, Kelantanese, Pahangite, Perakians, Sarawakians and Terengganuans. On the other hand, the Anak Dagang or foreign Malays, consist of descendants of immigrants from other parts of Malay Archipelago who became the citizens of the Malay sultanates and were absorbed and assimilated into Malay culture at different times, aided by similarity in lifestyle and common religion.

The foreign Malays have Acehnese, Banjarese, Buginese, Javanese, Mandailing and Minangkabau ancestries that come from Indonesia.[4][5] Some foreign Malays may also come from other parts of Southeast Asia, that includes the Chams of Indochina, Cocos Malays of Australian Cocos (Keeling) Islands as well as the Patani Malays of southern Thailand. There is also a minority of Malays who are partially descended from more recent immigrants from many other countries who have assimilated into Malay Muslim culture.

  1. ^ "Demographic Statistics Malaysia - First Quarter of 2023" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  2. ^ Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rosli; Rahmat Mohamad (5 June 2014). "Were the Malays immigrants?". The Malay Mail Online. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b Miller & Williams 2006, pp. 45–46
  4. ^ Gulrose Karim 1990, p. 74
  5. ^ Suad Joseph & Afsaneh Najmabadi 2006, p. 436