Malaysians

For other uses, see Malaysian (disambiguation).
For information on the population of Malaysia, see Demographics of Malaysia.
Not to be confused with Malays (ethnic group).
Malaysians
Orang Malaysia (Malay)
أورڠ مليسيا‎ (Jawi)
Flag of Malaysia
Map of the Malaysian diaspora around the world
Total population
c. 30–31 million
(Malaysian diaspora 1,730,152)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia 34,973,000 (2017 est.)
(excluding the diaspora)[2]
Christmas Island
Minority populations		More than 981[3]
Singapore952,261[1]
Australia174,136[1]
United Kingdom84,638[1]
United States77,647[4][1]
Brunei52,001[5][6][1]
China26,248[7][1]
Canada25,337[1]
Japan18,821[8]
New Zealand8,661[1]
India12,228[1]
Libya8,404[1]
Germany5,676[1]
Ireland4,595[1]
Netherlands4,036[1]
Brazil2,608[9]
Indonesia2,363[1]
Languages
Malay, English
Malayic • North Bornean • Melanau-Kajang • Aslian • Land Dayak • Sama–Bajaw
Religion
Predominantly
Islam 63.5%
Minority
Related ethnic groups
Indonesians

Malaysians (Malay: Orang Malaysia; Jawi: أورڠ مليسيا‎) are citizens who are identified with the country of Malaysia. Although citizens make up the majority of Malaysians, non-citizen residents may also claim a Malaysian identity.[10]

The country is home to people of various national, ethnic and religious origins. As a result, many Malaysians do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance to Malaysia. Majority of the population, however, belong to several clearly defined racial groups within the country with their own distinct cultures and traditions: Malays, Orang Asli (aboriginal population), Malaysian Chinese (primarily Han Chinese and Peranakans), Malaysian Indians (primarily South Asian Tamils and Chitty). The majority of the non-Malay and non-aboriginal population in modern Malaysia is made up of immigrants and their descendants. Following the initial period of Portuguese, Dutch and then significantly longer British colonisation, different waves (or peaks) of immigration and settlement of non-indigenous peoples took place over the course of nearly five centuries and continue today.[11]

Malayan independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 grew gradually over the course of latter part of the 20th century since the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1948 (excluding Crown Colony of Singapore, Crown Colony of North Borneo and Crown Colony of Sarawak). World War II in particular gave rise to a desire amongst Malayans to have their country recognised as a fully-fledged sovereign state with a distinct citizenship.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "International migrant stock 2019". United Nations. 2019. International migrant stock – By destination and origin. Retrieved 25 June 2020. Figures includes Malaysians in UN member nations
    • direct link to .xlsx file: [1]
    • In Table 1 under Column EE "Malaysia", Rows are the destinations.
  2. ^ "Malaysia Population Clock". Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. ^ Simone Dennis (2008). Christmas Island: An Anthropological Study. Cambria Press. pp. 91–. ISBN 9781604975109.
  4. ^ "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Leveraging on Malaysian diaspora". The Star. 16 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. ^ Soong Siew Hoong (29 March 2012). "Some Statistics on Malaysian Working in Overseas Countries in OIC; Commonwealth; BRICS; PIIGS; UN" (PDF). Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. ^ Sara Cluster (21 August 2012). "Malaysia PM: study hard abroad and return home". The Pie News. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Japan-Malaysia Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 7 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Imigrantes internacionais registrados no Brasil". www.nepo.unicamp.br. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  10. ^ Neville Spykerman; Michelle Tam; Victoria Brown (3 May 2015). "Survey: Most prefer to be known as Malaysian". The Star. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Malaysia - Ethnic Groups, Languages, Religions | Britannica". www.britannica.com.