Demographics of Sabah

{{main article|Kadazan-Dusun}}

File:Tambunan Sabah Opening-of-Kaamatan-2015-15a.jpg

The Kadazan-Dusun is the largest indigenous group in Sabah, comprising the blending of the Kadazan and Dusun peoples and their 40 sub-groups.{{cite book|title=The Report: Sabah 2011|year = 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKJoQ4o-_DsC&pg=PA10|publisher=Oxford Business Group|isbn=978-1-907065-36-1|pages=10–143}}{{cite web|url=http://kdca.org.my/archives/169|title=Origins of Kadazan / Dusun|author=Richard F. Tunggolou|publisher=Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA)|date=21 February 1999|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601112403/http://kdca.org.my/archives/169 |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Each sub-group has a different (though largely mutually intelligible) language and tradition. Although the term Kadazan-Dusun is primarily used to collectively refer to the two groups as a whole, it also sometimes includes other groups like the Murut, Orang Sungai, Rungus, Tidong, and Lun Bawang/Lun Dayeh peoples.{{cite web|url=http://kdca.org.my/about/kadazandusun|title=Kadazandusun|publisher=Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA)|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601111714/http://kdca.org.my/about/kadazandusun |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}} These other ethnic groups also identify as "other bumiputera".

Today, the Kadazan reside mainly in urban areas, whereas the Dusun prefer the hills and upland valleys. The Kadazan are mostly settled in the areas around Penampang, Papar, Ranau, Tambunan, and Keningau, whereas the Dusun are mostly concentrated in the areas of Tuaran, Ranau, and Tambunan.{{cite book|author=Tamara Thiessen|title=Borneo: Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCDkRTYwN5AC&pg=PA18|year=2012|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-390-0|pages=18–219}} The Kadazan-Dusun were once known for their headhunting practices as well for their skills as farmers, hunters, and river fisherfolk.{{cite book|author=Carl Skutsch|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXYKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA679|date=7 November 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-19388-1|pages=679–}}

The Kadazan once lived in longhouses,{{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/itsr039/kadazan.htm|title=Kadazan|publisher=Sabah Education Department|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603053116/http://www.sabah.edu.my/itsr039/kadazan.htm |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}} while the Dusun lived in single traditional houses (although some also lived in longhouses). As both peoples are traditionally rice farmers, they celebrate an annual harvest festival known as the Kaamatan.{{cite book|author=Fausto Barlocco|title=Identity and the State in Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3O1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT166|date=4 December 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-93238-3|pages=166–}}{{cite web|url=http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/010_Kaamatan01.htm|title=Pesta Ka'amatan (Sabah's Very Own Harvest Festival)|author=Herman Scholz|publisher=Flying Dusun|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603054810/http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/010_Kaamatan01.htm |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}} The Kadazan-Dusun community has a belief that their ancestors come from the Nunuk Ragang (a red banyan tree). Located not far from the tree are the two rivers Liwagu and Gelibang, which became the route through which their community spread throughout the interior of Sabah.{{cite web|url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/pd.rnu/nunuk_ragang.html|title=Nunuk Ragang|work=Ranau District Office|language=ms|publisher=Sabah State Government|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603075124/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/pd.rnu/nunuk_ragang.html |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{main article|Bajau people}}

File:KotaBelud.jpg in Kota Belud District, with a background of Mount Kinabalu behind]]

The second largest indigenous group of Sabah is the Bajau. The Bajaus in Sabah are generally divided into two main groups: the West Coast and East Coast. The West Coast Bajau generally lived in land and were known for their traditional horse culture.{{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.edu.my/itsr039/BAJAU.htm|title=Bajau|publisher=Sabah Education Department|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603034250/http://www.sabah.edu.my/itsr039/BAJAU.htm |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}} They mostly settled the area from Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, and Papar. The East Coast Bajau mostly spend their lives in the sea and settled around the area of Semporna, Lahad Datu, and Kunak;{{cite web|url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/pd.sprn/Regata.html|title=Regatta Lepa – Pesta Air Tahunan|language=ms|work=Semporna District Office|publisher=Sabah State Government|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603035510/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/pd.sprn/Regata.html |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pkpkmsabah.org/bajau-laut/|title=Bajau Laut|publisher=PKPKM Sabah|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603035300/http://www.pkpkmsabah.org/bajau-laut/ |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}} they also hold their annual regatta lepa festival.

File:Semporna Sabah Official-Opening-of-Tun-Sakaran-Museum-12.jpg

Once known as seafarers, the West Coast Bajau started to learn farming and cattle rearing since their migration from the Philippine archipelago a long time ago.{{When|date=May 2023|reason=Quantify when this migration occurred.}} Their skills in horsemanship are well known locally, and they engage in horsemanship activities on their festive occasions, during which riders dress in colourful traditional costumes. On the other hand, the East Coast Bajau still live as they traditionally have, with fishing having become their main source of income. Most lived in stilt water villages, and some spend most of their lives in their boat. The East Coast Bajau are also known as good divers and can spend more than five minutes in the waters without using an oxygen tank.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12151830|title=What freediving does to the body|author=Megan Lane|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2011|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603040016/http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12151830 |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{main article|Murut people}}

File:KgKuaiKandazon Sabah Monsopiad-Cultural-Village-24.jpg

The Muruts are the third largest indigenous group of Sabah, settling the areas around Keningau, Tenom, Nabawan, Pensiangan, and along the river areas of Sapulut, Padas, and Kinabatangan. Like the Kadazan-Dusun, they were once known for their headhunting practice and now are farmers and hunters. Traditionally, the Muruts lived in longhouses; today, Muruts in north Sabah still live in longhouses, but most others have adopted modern dwellings.{{cite book|author=Frans Welman|title=Borneo Trilogy Volume 2: Sabah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHVbz8SE6FQC&pg=PA125|date=9 March 2017|publisher=Booksmango|isbn=978-616-245-079-2|pages=125–}} The Muruts have a great knowledge of botanical healers, with each of their communities having its own herbalist who can attend to illnesses such as diarrhoea, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Since the abolishment of headhunting by the British, many Muruts served as police and soldiers for the British. This has been maintained until today, with many Muruts serving in the Malaysian Armed Forces. Similar to the Kadazan-Dusun, the Muruts also celebrate a harvest festival called Kalimaran.{{cite web|url=http://www.flyingdusun.com/001_Discover/013_culture.htm|title=Cultural Heritage|author=Herman Scholz|publisher=Flying Dusun|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606123551/http://www.flyingdusun.com/001_Discover/013_culture.htm |archive-date=6 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{main article|Bruneian Malay people}}

File:Sabah Malaysia Hari-Merdeka-2013-Parade-104.jpg during a parade in Sabah]]

The traditional Malays in Sabah are the Bruneian Malays, who mostly inhabit the area in the southwest coast. They mostly settled in Beaufort, Sipitang, Kuala Penyu, and Papar. Their migration to northern Borneo was noticeable during the rule of the Sultanate of Brunei in the 1400s.{{cite news|url=http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2011/10/24/search-brunei-malays-outside-brunei|title=In search of Brunei Malays outside Brunei|author=Rozan Yunos|newspaper=The Brunei Times|date=24 October 2011|access-date=28 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514083428/http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2011/10/24/search-brunei-malays-outside-brunei |archive-date=14 May 2016|url-status=dead}} However, although the Bruneians are Malays, their culture and language slightly differ from the majority of Peninsular Malays.{{cite book|author=IBP, Inc.|title=Labuan Offshore Investment and Business Guide – Strategic and Practical Information|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnCwBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|date=1 February 2005|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-0-7397-6155-7|pages=11–}}

The Cocos Malays and Kedayan are also included in this group, together with the recent Malays who migrated from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, as Malays are defined by the Malaysian Constitution as those who are Muslim, speak Malay, and conform to Malay customs.

{{main|Suluk people}}

The Suluks settled around the east coast of Sabah, mainly in Sandakan, Semporna, and Lahad Datu. Together with the Bajaus and Illanuns, their migration from the Sulu Archipelago began during the rule of the Sultanate of Sulu.{{cite book|author1=Anwar Sullivan|author2=Cecilia Leong|title=Commemorative History of Sabah, 1881–1981|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RNgLAAAAIAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Sabah State Government, Centenary Publications Committee}}{{cite book|author=Asmah Haji Omar|title=The Malay Peoples of Malaysia and Their Languages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XRkAAAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia}}{{cite book|author1=Julie K. King|author2=John Wayne King|title=Languages of Sabah: Survey Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4IOAAAAYAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University|isbn=978-0-85883-297-8}}{{cite book|author=Nelleke Elisabeth Goudswaard|title=The Begak (Ida'an) language of Sabah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSUaAQAAIAAJ|year=2005|publisher=LOT|isbn=978-90-76864-73-0}} Many are believed to have fled the slave trade in the Sulu Archipelago{{cite book|author=Suraya Sintang|title=Sejarah dan budaya Bugis di Tawau, Sabah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9FRAQAAMAAJ|year=2007|language=ms|publisher=Penerbit USM dengan kerjasama Persatuan Kebajikan Bugis Sabah (PKBS)|isbn=978-983-2369-66-0}} and Spanish oppression;{{cite book|title=Mencari Indonesia: demografi-politik pasca-Soeharto|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oLVTKSefAtIC&pg=PA123|year=2007|language=id|publisher=Yayasan Obor Indonesia|isbn=978-979-799-083-1|pages=123–}} some are even descendants of a Sulu princess (Dayang-Dayang) who fled from the sultan of Sulu when he tried to make the princess his wife.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/One-Mans-Meat/Profile/Articles/2014/05/26/Despised-for-the-wrong-reasons/|title=Despised for the wrong reasons|author=Philip Golingai|work=The Star|date=26 May 2014|access-date=29 August 2016|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025040/http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/One-Mans-Meat/Profile/Articles/2014/05/26/Despised-for-the-wrong-reasons/|url-status=dead}} The indigenous Suluks are different from the recently arrived Tausug immigrants from the Philippines as they have embraced the multiculturalism in northern Borneo. Due to the purported racism and discrimination faced by indigenous Suluks—triggered mostly by illegal immigration, as well as militants from Sulu who are mostly Tausugs from the Philippines—indigenous Suluks prefer to be distinguished and differentiated from the Tausugs in the Philippines.{{cite web|url=https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2022/08/823904/suluk-are-natives-sabah-their-narrative-absent|title=The Suluk are natives of Sabah, but their narrative is absent|author=A Murad Merican|work=New Straits Times|date=20 August 2022|access-date=4 September 2022}}

{{main article|Malaysian Chinese}}

File:A happy Chinese family in Sabah.jpg

Chinese form the largest non-indigenous group in Sabah, many of whom arrived to northern Borneo before the British, as shown in both Brunei and Sulu sultanates records{{cite web|url=http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/68001/1/015101.pdf|title=Malaysia-Philippines Territorial Dispute: The Sabah Case|author1=Mohammad Al-Mahdi Tan Kho|author2=Hurng-yu Chen|publisher=NCCU Institutional Repository|work=National Chengchi University|date=July 2014|access-date=9 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509133532/http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/68001/1/015101.pdf |archive-date=9 May 2016|url-status=dead}} and British records.{{cite book|title=The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06pFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA238|year=1820|publisher=Parbury, Allen, and Company|pages=238–}} The earliest documentation of Chinese settlement in Sabah dates back to the 7th century, on the banks of the Kinabatangan River. However, the links between northern Borneo and China could be much longer, since the Han dynasty.{{cite journal|url=http://www.persee.fr/doc/arch_0044-8613_1999_num_58_3_3538|title=Chinese Migration to Sabah Before the Second World War|author=Danny Wong Tze Ken|journal=Archipel |publisher=Persée|year=1999|access-date=6 June 2016|volume=58|issue=3 |pages=131–158|doi=10.3406/arch.1999.3538 }}

The migration of Chinese to northern Borneo saw a significant increase following the establishment of the North Borneo Chartered Company in 1881. At the time, the British considered the native populations as being too small in number to boost the North Borneo economy. Until this day, the Chinese are very important to the state economy, engaging in business-related activities.{{cite web|url=http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/01/23/sabah-appreciates-chinese-communitys-contribution|title=Sabah appreciates Chinese community's contribution|work=Bernama|publisher=The Brunei Times|date=23 January 2013|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606142751/http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/01/23/sabah-appreciates-chinese-communitys-contribution |archive-date=6 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

The Chinese in Sabah can be divided into three main groups: Hakka, Cantonese, and Hokkien. The Hakka form the majority of Chinese in Sabah,{{cite news|url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-hakka-song-for-sino-kadazan-girls-a-johoreans-paean-to-multicultural-sab|title=In Hakka song for Sino-Kadazan girls, a Johorean's paean to multicultural Sabah (VIDEO)|author=Julia Chan|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=22 May 2015|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603065058/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-hakka-song-for-sino-kadazan-girls-a-johoreans-paean-to-multicultural-sab |archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}} followed by the Cantonese and Hokkien. There is also a community of northern Chinese in the state, most of whom identify as Tianjin ren (people from Tianjin).{{cite book|author1=Melvin Ember|author2=Carol R. Ember|author3=Ian Skoggard|title=Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Volume I: Overviews and Topics; Volume II: Diaspora Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QEjPVyd9YMC&pg=PA699|date=30 November 2004|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-306-48321-9|pages=699–}} All the Chinese community are united under the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCC), an organisation that promotes national unity and continuous contribution towards the state economy.{{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.org.my/succc/constitution.html|title=Constitution of the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce|publisher=Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606143508/http://www.sabah.org.my/succc/constitution.html |archive-date=6 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{main article|Sino-Native}}

The Sino-Native community in Sabah, often referred to as Sino, is a cultural group that emerged from intermarriages between the Chinese community and indigenous peoples such as the Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and others. These intermarriages date back to the mid-18th century and have resulted in distinct sub-groups like Sino-Kadazan, Sino-Dusun and Sino-Murut, each reflecting a fusion of Chinese and local traditions. This blending of cultures is evident in various aspects of their lives, including language, cuisine, customs, and religious practices.{{citation|author=Bernard Jia Han Ng|date=2021|title=The Naming Systems of the Half Chinese and Half Native in Sabah, Malaysia|url=https://schina-publication.hkust.edu.hk/en/node/3033|work=Journal of History and Anthropology|access-date=2024-06-03}}

Today, the Sino-Native community maintains a vibrant cultural identity that celebrates its dual heritage. Major festivals such as Chinese New Year and the Kaamatan Festival are observed with a unique blend of customs, combining traditional Chinese elements with indigenous practices. For instance, Sino households may include indigenous delicacies like Linopot and sambal Tuhau in their traditional Chinese New Year menus.{{citation|author=|date=2023-01-25|title=Keunikan sambutan Tahun Baru Cina masyarakat Sino Kadazan|url=https://www.nabalunews.com/post/keunikan-sambutan-tahun-baru-cina-masyarakat-sino-kadazan|work=Wartawan Nabalu News|language=Malay|access-date=2024-06-03}} This harmonious integration of diverse cultural influences highlights the rich and diverse legacy of the Sino-Native community, contributing significantly to the multicultural tapestry of Sabah's society.

File:Lun Bawang in Sabah, Kelinang and Agung.png in Sabah playing their musical instruments, kulintangan and agung]]

Sabah also has other minority indigenous ethnic groups, other than the four largest indigenous groups (Kadazandusun, Bajau, Melayu Brunei, and Murut). These include the Rungus, Orang Sungei, Iranun, Bonggi, Kwijau, Paitan, Lun Bawang, Lundayeh, Kedayan, Iban, Binadan, Bisaya, Kokos, Rumanau, Lotud, Minokok, Tidung, Kagayan, Tatana, Tagaas, Ubian, Kimaragang, Bajau Laut, Ida'an, Inokang, and Sonsogon.{{cite book|author=Patrick Simon|title=Social Statistics and Ethnic Diversity: Cross-National Perspectives in Classifications and Identity Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G6ZnCgAAQBAJ&dq=detail+ethnic+Bumiputera+sabah&pg=PA154|year=2015|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-331920-095-8|pages=154}}{{cite web|url= https://www.astroawani.com/berita-bisnes/buang-petak-bangsabangsa-lain-kita-semua-keluarga-malaysia-320072|title=Buang petak 'Bangsa-bangsa Lain', kita semua Keluarga Malaysia|publisher=Astro Awani|year=2021|access-date=9 March 2022}}

Still, the ethnic identification is fluid—some individuals might identify as belonging to one of the major ethnic groups in Sabah (such as the Rungus and Orang Sungei being sub-ethnics of Kadazan-Dusun, or the Kedayan and Kokos being sub-ethnics of Malay), while others insist on identifying as a separate ethnic group.

The categorisation under the term "other bumiputeras" for official usage has brought some controversy. For example, there was speculation that the term was misused to include counting Filipino and Indonesian immigrants who were naturalised either through some connivance elements in state bureaucracy or fraudulent documents.{{cite book|author=Susan Sterett|title=Immigration. The International Library of Essays in Law and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1gskDwAAQBAJ&dq=other+bumiputera+used+as+sabah&pg=PT210|year=2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-135192-851-9|pages=100}}

File:Percentage population of Malay in Sabah, 2020.svg|Malay

File:Percentage population of Kadazan Dusun in Sabah, 2020.svg|Kadazan-Dusun

File:Percentage population of Bajau in Sabah, 2020.svg|Bajau

File:Percentage population of Murut in Sabah, 2020.svg|Murut

File:Percentage population of Chinese in Sabah, 2020.svg|Chinese

File:Percentage population of Non-Malaysian in Sabah, 2020.svg|Non-Malaysian, including illegal immigrants and refugees

{{main article|Malaysian folk religion|Islam in Malaysia|Christianity in Malaysia|Buddhism in Malaysia|Sikhism in Malaysia|Hinduism in Malaysia}}

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|title=Religion in Sabah (2020){{cite web |url=https://tableau.dosm.gov.my/t/mbls/views/1202/Negeri6?%3Adisplay_count=n&%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3AshowVizHome=n |title=Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi |publisher=Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia |access-date=25 April 2020 }}

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{{bar percent|Islam|Green|69.6}}

{{bar percent|Christianity|Blue|24.7}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|Yellow|5.1}}

{{bar percent|Unknown|Darkgrey|0.1}}

{{bar percent|No religion|Black|0.1}}

{{bar percent|Others|Gray|0.1}}

{{bar percent|Hinduism|Orange|0.1}}

}}

Prior to the arrival of Islam and Christianity, the indigenous peoples of North Borneo mainly practised animism and paganism.{{cite web|url=http://www.endofthetether.com/restricted/dusun%20ethnology.pdf|title=Notes on the Religious Beliefs, Superstitions, Ceremonies and Tabus of the Dusuns of the Tuaran and Tempassuk Districts, British North Borneo|author=Ivor H. N. Evans|work=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland|publisher=Adventure Travel Expeditions in Southeast Asia, JSTOR|year=1912|access-date=11 July 2016|pages=380–396|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711122718/http://www.endofthetether.com/restricted/dusun%20ethnology.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|jstor=1784380|title=The Pagans of North Borneo|author=Owen Rutter|journal=The Geographical Journal |publisher=The Geographical Journal, JSTOR|year=1929|volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=295–297|doi=10.2307/1784380 |bibcode=1929GeogJ..74..295G }} Islam arrived in the 10th century on the west coast of Borneo, following the conversion of the first ruler of Brunei into Islam.{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/25/islam-arrived-in-sabah-in-10th-century/|title=Islam arrived in Sabah in 10th century|author=Mariah Doksil|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=25 August 2014|access-date=11 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711125321/http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/25/islam-arrived-in-sabah-in-10th-century/ |archive-date=11 July 2016|url-status=dead}} In addition, Islamic teachings spread from Sulu and Sulawesi into the coastal areas of eastern Borneo. The first Christian missionary in northern Borneo was a Spanish mariner and priest, Rev. Msgr. Carlos Cuarteroni; although at the time the British had already established their presence in the island of Labuan.{{cite web|url=http://www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk/part-6-borneo-mission|title=Part 6: The Borneo Mission|publisher=Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill|access-date=11 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711133212/http://www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk/part-6-borneo-mission |archive-date=11 July 2016|url-status=dead}} Meanwhile, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religions as well the Indian religions of Hinduism and Sikhism arrived as a result of the migration of Chinese and Indians to northern Borneo.

Following the amendments of the 1973 Sabah constitution by Chief Minister Mustapha Harun, Islam was declared the state religion of Sabah.{{cite web|url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahConstitution/PartI.htm|title=Constitution of the State of Sabah|publisher=Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers)|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615120202/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahConstitution/PartI.htm |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}} However, the amendments are considered controversial, as they contradict the 20-point agreement that was agreed upon prior to the formation of Malaysia, which stated that there would be no state religion for North Borneo.{{cite book|author=Carlo Caldarola|title=Religion and Societies: Asia and the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnPu49bHNUkC|date=1 January 1982|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-082353-0}}{{cite web|url=http://web.usm.my/km/32(2)2014/KM%2032(2)%202014%20-%20Art.%201.pdf|title="Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments?": Exploring the 1973 Sabah Constitutional Amendment that Declared Islam the State Religion|author=Mohd Nazim Ganti Shaari|publisher=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2014|access-date=15 June 2016|pages=1–21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608123133/http://web.usm.my/km/32(2)2014/KM%2032(2)%202014%20-%20Art.%201.pdf |archive-date=8 June 2016|url-status=dead}} It is believed that the amendments were made while ignoring the indigenous peoples. In 1960, the population of Muslims in Sabah was only 37.9%, with animists (33.3%), Christians (16.6%), and other religions (12.2%) constituting the remainder. However, following Mustapha Harun coming to power, the Muslim population suddenly began to increase rapidly. By 2010, the percentage of Muslims had increased to 65.4%, while Christians grew to 26.6% and Buddhists to 6.1%.{{cite web|url=http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf|title=Patronage, Power and Prowess: Barisan Nasional's Equilibrium Dominance in East Malaysia|author=Faisal H. Hazis|work=Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia|publisher=Universiti Sains Malaysia|year=2015|access-date=19 June 2016|pages=15/24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619080534/http://web.usm.my/km/33(2)2015/km33022015_01.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

File:KotaKinabalu Sabah CityMosque-07.jpg|City Mosque

File:Sacred Heart RC Church.jpg|Sacred Heart Cathedral

File:Kota Kinabalu Pu Tho Si Tempel 0019.jpg|Pu Tuo Si Temple

File:KotaKinabalu Sabah GurudwaraSahib-02.jpg|Gurudwara Sahib

Population and Housing Censuses figures show the approximate proportions of these religions.{{cite web |url=https://tableau.dosm.gov.my/t/mbls/views/1202/Negeri6?%3Adisplay_count=n&%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3AshowVizHome=n |title=Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi |publisher=Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia |access-date=25 April 2020 }} The significant increase in the Muslim population between 1980 and 2010 (almost half a million people for every 10 years) highlights the height of Project IC, an alleged demographic engineering program in Sabah.

{{Table alignment}}

{{see also|Christian mission|Islamic missionary activity|Freedom of religion in Malaysia}}

Starting in the colonial period, various Christian groups from the West actively evangelised the indigenous people of North Borneo as part of an effort to improve the living standards of the natives and eradicate tribal wars, headhunting, and excessive alcohol consumption. However, after colonial independence—and especially during the helm of Sabah's third chief minister, Mustapha Harun—Christian groups were involved in a dispute with Mustapha over alleged discrimination, bias, and unfair treatment towards them.{{cite web|url=http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp68.25092005/02whole.pdf|title=Christian Mission in Malaysia: Past Emphasis, Present Engagement and Future Possibilities|author=Maria Perpetua Kana|work=School of Theology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences|publisher=Australian Catholic University|date=24 March 2004|access-date=19 June 2016|page=120 (125/140)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619100643/http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp68.25092005/02whole.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

Under Mustapha's political party, United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), large-scale Islamisation was carried out by the United Sabah Islamic Association (USIA).{{cite web|url=http://journalarticle.ukm.my/420/1/1.pdf|title=The Politics of centre-state conflict: the Sabah experience under the ruling Sabah Alliance (1963–1976)|author=Mohammad Agus Yusoff|publisher=Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia|year=1999|access-date=4 November 2017|page=14/25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171104113624/http://journalarticle.ukm.my/420/1/1.pdf|archive-date=4 November 2017|url-status=dead}} The organisation expelled a number of Christian missionary workers, converted elite politicians, and carried out mass conversion of animist villagers and some older Chinese generations in exchange for their citizenship, office positions, or cash rewards.{{cite book|author=Yew-Foong Hui|title=Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PDwQB4tBG8C&pg=PA169|year=2013|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4379-92-2|pages=169–}} This was followed by an influx of Muslim migrants—Filipino refugees from Mindanao and Indonesian immigrants from Sulawesi—who were harboured to increase the local Muslim populations.{{cite book|author=Andrew Tian Huat Tan|title=Southeast Asia: Threats in the Security Environment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TOi5AAAAIAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Academic|isbn=978-981-210-392-5}}{{cite book|author1=Tai-Chee Wong|author2=Jonathan Rigg|title=Asian Cities, Migrant Labor and Contested Spaces|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xjxZBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12|date=13 September 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-92379-1|pages=12–}} These immigrants were eventually integrated into the community and naturalised as Sabahan and Malaysian via an alleged program called Project IC.

After the fall of USNO, BERJAYA adopted "multi-racial principles" which won the vote from non-Muslims. However, the party began to adopt an Islamic vision with the establishment of Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS). The conversion of indigenous villagers became rampant at the time. This interference in indigenous faith and rituals led to dwindling support from non-Muslims, and thus to the fall of BERJAYA. Then, when the Sabah administration was taken over by a non-Muslim party, PBS, many false warnings regarding the threat to Islam were spread amongst the people in order to disrupt harmony and re-establish the position of the Muslim-dominated parties. Peninsular Malaysia politicians were brought in to strategise the downfall of PBS by any means (including Project IC) in the pretense of protecting Islam.

Moreover, since the controversial amendments of the 1973 constitution, Sabah faced more cases of mass religious conversion. This led to highly controversial issues, such as when Christian or pagan indigenous natives were instead identified as Muslim during their applications for identity cards.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2026|title=Don't mess with religion|author=Richard Joe Jimmy|newspaper=Daily Express|date=7 May 2016|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615124919/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read.cfm?NewsID=2026 |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}} This confusion was partly due to federal authorities in Peninsular Malaysia assuming that the usage of "bin" and "binti" in the birth certificates of indigenous non-Muslim Sabahans indicated their profession to Islam.{{cite news|url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/08/15/sabah-christians-often-mistaken-muslims-carrying-bin-binti-mykad/|title=Sabah Christians often mistaken as Muslims for carrying 'bin' or 'binti' in MyKad|author=Sandra Sokial|newspaper=The Rakyat Post|date=15 August 2014|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615132941/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/08/15/sabah-christians-often-mistaken-muslims-carrying-bin-binti-mykad/ |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}} However, the issue originated from reckless officers who manipulated the ignorance of indigenous natives when registering the births of their newborn babies, by adding "bin" or "binti" into the babies' names. Additionally, there are frequent reports of villagers who were tricked into conversion by certain non-governmental organisations from the Peninsular Malaysia,{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=88296|title=Conversion issue must be handled delicately: NGO|newspaper=Daily Express|date=9 February 2014|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615125712/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=88296 |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite news|url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/03/06/muslim-ngos-cant-enter-sabah-as-they-like/|title=Muslim NGOs can't enter Sabah as they like|author=Joe Fernandez|work=Free Malaysia Today|date=6 March 2015|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615132117/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/03/06/muslim-ngos-cant-enter-sabah-as-they-like/ |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/facebook-user-claims-part-abim-mission-convert-sabah-071600544.html|title=Facebook user claims part of ABIM mission to 'convert' Sabah villagers|author=Julia Chan|work=The Malay Mail|publisher=Yahoo! News|date=19 January 2016|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615130541/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/facebook-user-claims-part-abim-mission-convert-sabah-071600544.html |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}} as well the conversion of students in schools by teachers from the Peninsular without their parents' knowledge and consent.{{cite web|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sabah-school-conversion-row-must-held-accountable-father-230600994.html|title=Sabah school in conversion row must be held accountable, father insists|work=The Malay Mail|publisher=Yahoo! News|date=26 March 2015|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221005231/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sabah-school-conversion-row-must-held-accountable-father-230600994.html|archive-date=21 December 2015|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/02/09/sabah-leaders-conversion-answers/|title=Sabah leaders demand explanation for underaged girl's conversion|work=The Star|date=9 February 2015|access-date=1 September 2016}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/on-the-beat/2015/04/05/teach-not-convert-students/|title=Teach, not convert students|author=Wong Chun Wai|work=The Star|date=5 April 2015|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615145321/http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/on-the-beat/2015/04/05/teach-not-convert-students/|archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

While any non-Muslims in the state who want to convert to Islam can be easily accepted by the state law, any Muslims who wish to leave their religion will be detained in the state Islamic Rehabilitation Centre until they repent or are jailed for up to 36 months (3 years).{{cite news|url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2011/01/01/sabah-apostates-repent-or-go-to-jail/|title=Sabah apostates: Repent or go to 'jail'|work=Free Malaysia Today|date=12 January 2011|access-date=18 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618040556/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2011/01/01/sabah-apostates-repent-or-go-to-jail/|archive-date=18 June 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/path-to-leave-islam-simple-but-far-from-easy|title=Path to leave Islam simple, but far from easy|author=Ida Lim|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=12 July 2014|access-date=18 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618040800/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/path-to-leave-islam-simple-but-far-from-easy|archive-date=18 June 2017|url-status=dead}} A bid for the establishment of Sabah's first Christian radio also went unheeded by the federal government communication ministry until it was brought up to court.{{cite news|url=http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabahan-goes-to-court-in-bid-to-start-christian-radio-station|title=Sabahan goes to court in bid to start Christian radio station|author=Julia Chan|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=14 July 2017|access-date=18 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718064236/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabahan-goes-to-court-in-bid-to-start-christian-radio-station|archive-date=18 July 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=118874|title=Bid to seek approval for Christian radio licence|newspaper=Daily Express|date=14 July 2017|access-date=18 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718063930/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=118874|archive-date=18 July 2017|url-status=dead}} In addition, religious zealotry and intolerance from certain Muslim hardcore groups in Peninsular Malaysia has started to affect the cultural and religious diversity in Sabah.{{cite news|url=http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-sabah-shivers-of-discomfit-over-rising-religious-barriers|title=In Sabah, shivers of discomfit over rising religious barriers|author=Julia Chan|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=23 August 2015|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903023548/http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-sabah-shivers-of-discomfit-over-rising-religious-barriers|archive-date=3 September 2016|url-status=dead}} However, the federal government has denied connection with the controversial conversions and said that it is not the policy of the government to force someone to change their religion.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104241|title=No forced conversions: Najib|newspaper=Daily Express|date=2 November 2015|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615151231/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=104241 |archive-date=15 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Prior to this, there were frequent calls to the government to restore the freedom of religion in the state and prevent religious tensions from damaging peace and harmony.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111622|title=Churches: Louder calls to restore religious freedom|newspaper=Daily Express|date=28 July 2016|access-date=28 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728113551/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111622 |archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=dead}}

File:North Borneo and Sabah Religion Comparison (1960 and 2010).png

{{main article|Sabahan languages}}

File:Sabahan language slang.png slang words accompanied by their English translations.]]

The indigenous languages of Sabah can be divided into four language families: Dusunic, Murutic, Paitanic, and Sama–Bajau. Studies suggest that the only truly Bornean languages spoken in Sabah are those belonging to the Dusunic, Murutic, and Paitanic language families,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1370&dat=19930130&id=geoiAAAAIBAJ&pg=3342,4949511&hl=en|title=Some facts and figures about Sabah and its people|author=E.P. Patanñe|newspaper=Manila Standard Today|date=30 January 1993|access-date=25 June 2016}} while the Sama–Bajau languages originate from the southern Philippines.{{cite web|url=http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/018_Languages.htm|title=Languages of Sabah|author=Herman Scholz|publisher=Flying Dusun|year=2003|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625045918/http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/018_Languages.htm |archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

Dusunic is the largest of the four families. It comprises the Kadazan Dusun language, which has dialects spread throughout the districts of Papar, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Ranau, Tambunan, and Keningau. It is followed by the Murutic languages of southern Sabah, which are spoken mainly in Keningau, Tenom, Nabawan, and Pensiangan. The Paitanic languages are spoken in the areas along the east coast rivers of Paitan, Kinabatangan, and Segama. The Sama–Bajau are concentrated along parts of the West and East Coasts.{{Cite thesis |last=Miller |first=Mark T. |title=A Grammar of West Coast Bajau |date=2007 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=University of Texas at Arlington |hdl=10106/577 |hdl-access=free |pages=5–}}

Malay is taught as the main language for conversation across different ethnicities in the state, although Sabahan creole is different from Sarawak Malay and Peninsular Malay.{{cite book|author=Asmah Haji Omar|title=Languages in the Malaysian Education System: Monolingual Strands in Multilingual Settings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iaQ0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT53|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-36421-4|pages=53–}} Sabah has its own slang in Malay that originates from indigenous words, Brunei Malay, Bajau, Suluk, Dusun, and Indonesian.{{cite web|url=http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/5575/2/2.Chapter_1.pdf|title=The Sabah Malay Dialect: A Phonological Study of The Urban Dialect of Kota Kinabalu City|author=JKL Wong|publisher=University of Malaya|year=2012|access-date=25 June 2016|page=7/11}}

The large Chinese minority in Sabah are mostly of the Hakka subgroup. As such, the Hakka dialect is the most commonly spoken Chinese dialect in the state. There are also significant minorities speaking other dialects, particular Cantonese and Hokkien. Additionally, as Chinese schools in Malaysia use Mandarin as the language of instruction, many Chinese Sabahans are also proficient in Mandarin, albeit a "Malaysianised" form of it.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=96625|title=Why Sabahans reluctant to speak, learn English|newspaper=Daily Express|date=26 January 2015|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625100859/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=96625 |archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Zamboangueño, a Spanish-based creole language and dialect of Chavacano, spread into one village of Sabah in Semporna prior to the migration of people from the southern Philippines.{{cite book|author=Susanne Michaelis|title=Roots of Creole Structures: Weighing the Contribution of Substrates and Superstrates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pPUeQLcGMOMC|year=2008|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|isbn=978-90-272-5255-5}}

[[File:Sabah Families Languages.png|thumb|right|The distribution of language families of Sabah shown by colours:
(click image to enlarge)

{{legend|#FF984F|North Bornean}}

{{legend|#4CFF00|Sama–Bajaw}}

{{legend|#FF006E|Malayic}}

{{legend|#B200FF|Philippine}}

{{legend|#A0A0A0|Areas with multiple languages}}]]

In 1971, the state government of Sabah under Mustapha Harun submitted an enactment recognising Malaysian Malay as the state's official language.{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/22/bm-is-sabahs-official-language-keruak/|title=BM is Sabah's official language – Keruak|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=22 November 2015|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625094103/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/22/bm-is-sabahs-official-language-keruak/ |archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Following the amendments of 1973 constitution, the use of English was restricted to official purposes with the extension of the 1967 Malaysian National Language Act.{{cite web|url=http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws/NationalLanguage(Application)Enactment1973.pdf|title=National Language (Application) Enactment 1973|publisher=Sabah State Government (State Attorney-General's Chambers)|date=27 September 1973|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625094558/http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/lawnet/SabahLaws/StateLaws/NationalLanguage(Application)Enactment1973.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}} As a result of the domination of Malay in the state, English proficiency among younger Sabahan generations has been gradually decreasing.

The largest indigenous language, Kadazan Dusun, has become an endangered language, as its study has not been made compulsory in state schools.{{cite web|url=http://www.accu.or.jp/appreb/09/pdf34-2/34-2P010-012.pdf|title=To Promote the Kadazandusun Languages of Sabah|author=Rita Lasimbang|publisher=Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (Japan)|year=2004|access-date=25 June 2016|volume=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625122934/http://www.accu.or.jp/appreb/09/pdf34-2/34-2P010-012.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

Due to the tight Malay culture and language policies over national schools, many Sabahan bumiputera parents have preferred to send their children to Chinese schools. A 2010 survey revealed there were around 12,138 Sabahan bumiputera students enrolled in Chinese national type primary schools and preschools; thus, Sabah had the second-highest number of bumiputera pupils enrolment in Chinese schools (after Sarawak).{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaily.my/node/135077|title=55,975 bumiputera pupils in Chinese schools|work=Bernama|publisher=The Sun|date=17 December 2010|access-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626080230/http://www.thesundaily.my/node/135077 |archive-date=26 June 2016|url-status=dead}} In addition to the perception among non-Chinese parents that Chinese schools provided a better-quality education and were more disciplined, the rise of China as a global economic power incentivised learning Chinese languages.{{*}} {{cite book|author=Boo Teik Khoo|title=Beyond Mahathir: Malaysian Politics and Its Discontents|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0xyfD0YZHIC&pg=PA28|year=2003|publisher=Zed Books|isbn=978-1-84277-465-6|pages=28–}}
{{*}} {{cite book|author1=Lee Hock Guan|author2=Leo Suryadinata|title=Malaysian Chinese: Recent Developments and Prospects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUFBnyPRbLUC&pg=PA189|year=2012|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|isbn=978-981-4345-08-8|pages=189–}}
{{*}} {{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=76986|title=Master as many languages, youths told|newspaper=Daily Express|date=9 February 2011|access-date=26 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626084820/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=76986|archive-date=26 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/05/26/missing-school-kids-at-the-sks-ku-nan-find-out-why-many-not-sending-children-to-national-primary-sch/|title=Missing School Kids at the SKs|author=Tan Sin Chow|work=The Star|date=26 May 2016|access-date=26 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626082506/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/05/26/missing-school-kids-at-the-sks-ku-nan-find-out-why-many-not-sending-children-to-national-primary-sch/|archive-date=26 June 2016|url-status=dead}}

Since 2014, the British Council have actively given assistance to teach English in primary schools; this was followed by the US Fulbright Program in 2015 for teaching English in secondary schools.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/mentoring-english-language-teachers-borneo|title=What's mentoring English language teachers in Borneo like?|author=Rob Gordon|publisher=British Council|date=12 July 2014|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728190525/https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/mentoring-english-language-teachers-borneo |archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://my.usembassy.gov/2015-fulbright-english-teaching-assistants/|title=2015 Fulbright English Teaching Assistants|publisher=U.S. Embassy in Malaysia|date=5 January 2015|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728190809/https://my.usembassy.gov/2015-fulbright-english-teaching-assistants/ |archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=dead}} The Kadazan Dusun language also started to be promoted at the same time, with language teachers completing training in 2018 and starting to teach in 2019.{{cite news|url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/05/move-preserve-develop-kadazandusun-language/|title=Move to preserve, develop Kadazandusun language|author=Sandra Sokial|newspaper=The Rakyat Post|date=5 November 2014|access-date=6 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706023327/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/05/move-preserve-develop-kadazandusun-language/ |archive-date=6 July 2016|url-status=dead}}{{Update inline|date=May 2023}} Since 2016, the Sabah Education Department has set Tuesday as "English Day" for schools, to increase English proficiency in the state and encourage younger generations to converse more in English.{{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/press/docs/2016002472.htm|title=Opening Speech By Y.A.B. Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman Chief Minister of Sabah, at the Launch of the State Level English Day Programme by the Sabah State Education Department Year 2016 at SMK Sri Nangka, Tuaran|publisher=Sabah State Government|date=16 February 2016|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728193838/http://www.sabah.gov.my/press/docs/2016002472.htm |archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1695142|title=Tuesday is English day for Sabah schools|work=Bernama|publisher=The Sun|date=16 February 2016|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728183923/http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1695142 |archive-date=28 July 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/02/17/speak-in-english-sabah-youths-urged-masidi-language-use-will-improve-proficiency/|title=Speak in English, Sabah youths urged|work=The Star|date=17 February 2016|access-date=29 July 2016}}

Following the 2018 general election, the new Sabah government removed restrictions on the usage of English in the state, adding that even if the Education Ministry decrees it unlawful for English be used in Sabah, the government will not allow the restriction to be imposed in the state. This is because restrictions on English would damage younger generations, especially when they need to work in private firms or organisations that require English proficiency. The new state government also stated that they will look into the matters if there is a need to change the state law.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127026|title=Cannot stop Sabah using English: CM|newspaper=Daily Express|date=11 September 2018|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921023831/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127026|archive-date=21 September 2018|url-status=dead}}

{{see also|Refugees of the Philippines|Illegal immigrants in Malaysia}}

File:Filipino Market Kota Kinabalu.jpg){{cite news|last=E Hermenegildus|first=Crystal|url=https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/235593/kota-kinabalu-markets-rebranded-as-anjung-kinabalu/|title=Kota Kinabalu markets rebranded as Anjung Kinabalu|work=Daily Express|date=8 June 2024|access-date=23 January 2025}} located within Fuad Stephens Road in Kota Kinabalu. Overseas Filipinos top the list of migrants in Sabah.]]

The connection and movement of people between Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, the southern Philippines, and the Indonesian province of Kalimantan have existed for centuries.{{cite web|url=http://www.giga-hamburg.de/sites/default/files/openaccess/suedostasienaktuell/2006_5/giga_soa_2006_5_frank.pdf|title=Project Mahathir: 'Extraordinary' Population Growth in Sabah (The History of Illegal Immigration to Sabah)|author=Sina Frank|work=Im Fokus|publisher=German Institute of Global and Area Studies|date=May 2006|access-date=6 November 2014|pages=72 and 73/2 and 3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106073701/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/sites/default/files/openaccess/suedostasienaktuell/2006_5/giga_soa_2006_5_frank.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.iips.org/publications/data/Mak_paper.pdf|title=Future Challenges for Southeast Asian Nations in Maritime Security (Comperehensive Security, Piracy and the Malaysian Securitisation Discourse)|publisher=Institute for International Policy Studies (Japan)|access-date=24 August 2016|pages=3/9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824033600/http://www.iips.org/publications/data/Mak_paper.pdf |archive-date=24 August 2016|url-status=dead}} Trade within the area dates back as early as the 9th century. In modern times, prior to laws and lawlessness issues created by recent immigrants, there was an emphasis to control and monitor illegal movements.

The first modern wave of migration occurred in the late 16th century, when pressure from Spanish colonists in the southern Philippines led to increased immigration to Sadah of Philippine ethnic groups such as Suluks and Bajaus. In the 1970s, thousands of Filipino refugees, mostly the Moros, began arriving due to conflict and political uncertainty in Mindanao.

The Filipino refugees in Sabah were welcomed by certain state politicians (mostly from USNO, BERJAYA, and the dominant federal government political party of UMNO) to increase the racial balance in favour to the Malays. In this way, the state autonomy in immigration was manipulated for political gains. In contrast, the Vietnamese refugees in Peninsular Malaysia were repatriated to maintain the racial balance for the Malays.{{cite book |author=Robert Hopkins Miller |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVhI-H-W5D0C&pg=PA178 |title=Vietnam and Beyond: A Diplomat's Cold War Education |publisher=Texas Tech University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-89672-491-4 |pages=178–}} Some Vietnamese boat refugees reached Sabah as part of the Indochina refugee crisis, although most were sent to Western countries, as the Malaysian leader at the time (Mahathir Mohamad) only wanted to receive Muslim refugees.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/weekinreview/the-world-once-again-vietnamese-are-turned-out-to-sea.html|title=THE WORLD; Once Again, Vietnamese Are Turned Out to Sea|author=Steven Erlanger|newspaper=The New York Times|date=19 November 1989|access-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415085536/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/weekinreview/the-world-once-again-vietnamese-are-turned-out-to-sea.html|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=114934|title=Viet boat refugee's best X'mas gift|newspaper=Daily Express|date=3 January 2017|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104101536/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=114934|archive-date=4 January 2017|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://cilisos.my/why-do-certain-refugees-get-vip-treatment-over-others-in-malaysia/|title=Why do certain refugees get VIP treatment over others in Malaysia?|author=Jia Vern Tham|publisher=cilisos.my|date=26 December 2016|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221827/http://cilisos.my/why-do-certain-refugees-get-vip-treatment-over-others-in-malaysia/|archive-date=26 December 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/POLITICS/The-shoo-policy-of-Mahathir-and-how-he-has-changed|title=The 'shoo policy' of Mahathir and how he has changed|author=Zakiah Koya|publisher=The Heat Malaysia|date=1 June 2015|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220052344/http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/POLITICS/The-shoo-policy-of-Mahathir-and-how-he-has-changed|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}} Since 2000, around 20,000 Muslim foreigners from the Philippines and Indonesia have married local Sabahans, in addition to a number of foreign men from Afghanistan, Algeria, and Bangladesh marrying local Sabahan women, based on figures released by the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS).{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=85418|title=20,000 foreigners married locals|newspaper=Daily Express|date=23 May 2013|access-date=25 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825051910/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=85418 |archive-date=25 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

File:Gaya Street, Jesselton, British North Borneo in 1930.jpg in 1930]]

Sabah has a significant Chinese minority.{{cite book|author=Azlan Tajuddin|title=Malaysia in the World Economy (1824–2011): Capitalism, Ethnic Divisions, and "Managed" Democracy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I3Uy5Eny7OYC&pg=PA58|date=14 June 2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-7197-4|pages=58–}} Chinese immigrants first came to Sabah from southern China in the late 19th century, fleeing famine and overpopulation. They were enticed to Sabah by the promises of British colonists, who invited them to help clear the forests and farm the land in return for various benefits. While early Chinese immigrants were primarily involved in agriculture, most eventually became involved in business, operating sundry shops, coffee shops, and so on. To this day, Chinese Sabahans play a pivotal role in the state's commercial scene. Most Chinese Sabahans are of Hakka descent, but there are significant numbers of Chinese Sabahans from other dialect groups, especially the Cantonese and Hokkien subgroups. The largest Chinese populations in Sabah are in the three major cities of Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau. Smaller rural communities exist, particularly in the districts of Kudat, Keningau, Tenom, and Beaufort.

Unlike in Peninsular Malaysia, the South Asian population in Sabah is small. It consists mainly of Indians and Pakistanis, some of whom are descended from immigrants who served in the British colonial military.{{cite book|author=Yong Leng Lee|title=North Borneo (Sabah): A Study in Settlement Geography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJceAAAAMAAJ|year=1965|publisher=Eastern Universities Press}}{{cite book|author=S. Chandrasekhar|title=Hungry People and Empty Lands: An Essay on Population Problems and International Tensions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnVGVoFZv-EC&pg=PA294|year=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-59538-4|pages=294–}} Sabah is also home to a large number of foreign immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines. The Indonesian community is composed mostly of Buginese, Florenese, Torajans, and Timorese people who have come to Sabah to work as labourers, in oil palm plantations or as domestic workers.{{cite book|author1=Alexander Horstmann|author2=Reed L. Wadley†|title=Centering the Margin: Agency and Narrative in Southeast Asian Borderlands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ny_9nvERZtUC&pg=PA149|date=30 May 2006|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-0-85745-439-3|pages=149–}} The Filipino community can broadly be divided into two: descendants of mostly Christian immigrants who worked as professionals during the colonial era,{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/28/kababayan-community-holds-first-gathering-in-sabah/|title=Kababayan community holds first gathering in Sabah|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=28 September 2015|access-date=13 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713131015/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/28/kababayan-community-holds-first-gathering-in-sabah/ |archive-date=13 July 2016|url-status=dead}} and the mostly-Muslim immigrants from the southern Philippines who came during the USNO era. In recent years, the number of expatriates in the state has increased. They come mostly from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and various countries in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom.

{{main article|Project IC|Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah}}

There are many reports stating that following the influx of refugees and foreigners from the Muslim areas of Mindanao in the Philippines and Sulawesi in Indonesia, a "secretive taskforce" was established in the 1970s during Mustapha Harun's term as Chief Minister to register them as citizens.{{cite book|author=Shanti Nair|title=Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W_V0dfWof7QC&pg=PT67|date=11 January 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-96099-6|pages=67–}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/09/19/sabah-illegal-immigrants-rci-anwar-project-ic/|title='Secret' taskforce entrusted from 1970s with issuing ICs to Sabah immigrants, Anwar tells RCI|author=Ruben Sario|work=The Star|date=19 September 2013|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601025653/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/09/19/sabah-illegal-immigrants-rci-anwar-project-ic/|archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Then, from 1988 to 1990, the taskforce registered not only Muslim refugees and migrants but also Muslims from Peninsular Malaysia to topple the majority Christian state government under PBS.{{cite web|url=http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/lbk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=79&Itemid=538|title=Mustapha Bertanggungjawab Ubah Demografi Sabah|trans-title=Mustapha Responsible for Changing Sabah Demographical Patterns|author=Nigel|language=ms|work=Sabah State Government|publisher=Kudat Town Board|date=16 August 2013|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601030334/http://ww2.sabah.gov.my/lbk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=79&Itemid=538 |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=36892|title=Projek IC started by Sabah's founding father, RCI told|work=The Malay Mail|publisher=The Malaysian Bar|date=16 August 2013|access-date=1 June 2016}}

A source from one of the former Sabah Chief Ministers estimated the total of illegal immigrants in the state to be around 400,000–500,000, while Sabah's opposition parties together with the Filipino community leaders indicated that the numbers had surpassed one million. This complicated estimate was a result of frequent "controversial regularisation", with illegal immigrants and refugees changing their status to "legal citizen". Furthermore, most of those who were deported could return within weeks or a few months. Most of the immigration issues were perceived by the locals as politically motivated to systematically change the demography of the state.

As a case example, in 2016, a local woman living in Sabah and born to a Sabahan indigenous family was denied citizenship by the state government, whereas recently arrived immigrants had acquired their Malaysian identity card (MyKad) in just a short time despite not having any relationships with Malaysian citizens:{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=108636|title=Another case of citizenship denied?|newspaper=Daily Express|date=11 April 2016|access-date=5 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905072549/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=108636|archive-date=5 September 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{cquote|I was born at home at Kg Enubai (Tenom District) in 1960, so my birth was not registered then. When I turned 12, my mum brought me to the JPN Office to apply for a blue IC. It was a hassling experience as the authorities wanted proof of my local birth. We managed to find the village midwife who delivered me. But I was still given a red IC. I speak Malaysian language, Murut, Dusun, Hakka, Cantonese and Mandarin. I grew up with Murut and Dusun kids. When I talk to people in the Peninsula, they know straightaway that I am from Sabah. Even the police once said to me, 'Aunty, dari Sabahkah?' (Aunty, from Sabah?). But the Indonesian women who live in my area and can only speak Indonesian Malay have got MyKad. Isn't this strange? The Indonesian women said: 'Kami datang lima tahun, sudah dapat IC', (We have been here five years already, we have already got IC).}}

Another indigenous woman faced difficulties in sending her child to school when the child was listed as a Muslim without the mother's consent on his recently received birth certificate from the National Registration Department (NRD). The mother refused to accept the document, as the child was born Christian. Repeated occurrence of such cases has caused the department to be accused of practising religiously motivated "cleansing" of the state to systematically Islamize its people.{{cite news|url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=116292|title=NRD has done it without Syariah Court OK|author=Tracy Patrick|newspaper=Daily Express|date=9 March 2017|access-date=10 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309173243/http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=116292|archive-date=9 March 2017|url-status=dead}}

Added to this was the exposure of corruption within the Malaysian authorities by an Indonesian investigative television program in late 2016. The program revealed that thousands of Indonesian migrants were crossing easily through the border in Tawau Division every day,{{cite news|url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/indonesian-video-shows-how-easy-it-is-to-enter-sabah-illegally-video|title=Indonesian video shows how easy it is to enter Sabah illegally (VIDEO)|newspaper=The Malay Mail|date=21 September 2016|access-date=24 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924050912/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/indonesian-video-shows-how-easy-it-is-to-enter-sabah-illegally-video|archive-date=24 September 2016|url-status=dead}} with many of the illegal immigrants also using fake identity cards to receive the "Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia" (a type of Malaysian government aid to local low-income Malaysians in the form of money).{{cite AV media|url=http://www.metube.id/m/v/225027|title=Indonesia Border Eps 66: Jalur tikus para TKI ilegal di pulau sebatik menuju Malaysia (Segmen 02)|medium=07:22|language=id|work=iNewsTV|publisher=Me Tube Indonesia|date=23 May 2016|access-date=24 September 2016|archive-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044431/https://www.metube.id/m/v/225027|url-status=dead}}

By 2016, these issues had created some ethnic tension among Sabahans as well affecting the security and stability of the state. Due to this, the federal government agreed to set up a royal commission to investigate the problems.{{*}} {{cite book|author1=Sean M. Lynn-Jones|author2=Steven E. Miller|title=Global Dangers: Changing Dimensions of International Security|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbM7jackywEC&pg=PA205|date=January 1995|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-62097-0|pages=205–}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/illegal-immigrants-causing-simmering-resentment-in-sabah/|title=Illegal immigrants causing simmering resentment in Sabah|publisher=The Malaysian Times|date=22 August 2012|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629170508/http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/illegal-immigrants-causing-simmering-resentment-in-sabah/|archive-date=29 June 2014|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/11/10/when-security-may-not-guarantee-safety/|title=When security may not guarantee safety|author=Phyllis Wong|newspaper=The Borneo Post|date=10 November 2013|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601075344/http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/11/10/when-security-may-not-guarantee-safety/ |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite web|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/06/02/najib-announces-setting-up-of-rci-to-probe-issue-of-illegal-immigrants-in-sabah-new/|title=Najib announces setting up of RCI to probe issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah|work=Bernama|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=2 June 2012|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601040621/http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/06/02/najib-announces-setting-up-of-rci-to-probe-issue-of-illegal-immigrants-in-sabah-new/ |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
{{*}} {{cite news|url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/134586/sabahan-security-guards-turn-out-be-filipino-indonesian|title='Sabahan' security guards turn out to be Filipino, Indonesian|author=Azura Abas|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=23 March 2016|access-date=2 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602051619/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/134586/sabahan-security-guards-turn-out-be-filipino-indonesian |archive-date=2 June 2016|url-status=dead}} Among the proposals by Sabahan parties during the commission was one to recall all identity cards (ICs) issued in the state and issue new ICs only for eligible Sabahan citizens; this would also ensure the integrity of the MyKad system.{{cite journal|url=https://www.iseas.edu.sg/images/pdf/ISEAS_Perspective_2016_11.pdf|title=Sabah ICs for Sabahans: Will it Help?|author=Andrew M. Carruthers|journal=Perspective|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|date=15 March 2016|access-date=1 June 2016|issn=2335-6677}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/06/23/recall-exercise-can-ensure-integrity-ic-rci-told|title=Recall exercise can ensure integrity of IC, RCI told|work=Bernama|publisher=The Brunei Times|date=23 June 2013|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601043952/http://www.bt.com.bn/2013/06/23/recall-exercise-can-ensure-integrity-ic-rci-told |archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=dead}} The federal government was also urged to speed up the process of registering all stateless indigenous natives, in light of the fact that indigenous people are supposedly regarded as deserving a special position in their own homeland.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=117052|title=Speed up granting of documents to locals|author=Tracy Patrick|newspaper=Daily Express|date=11 April 2017|access-date=11 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411123022/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=117052|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=dead}} Following the coverage of the issue, the Chief Minister instructed NRD to rectify the matters immediately.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/05/04/musa-aman-nrd-must-immediately-rectify-errors-in-religion-listings/|title=Musa Aman: NRD must immediately rectify errors in religion listings|author=Muguntan Vanar|work=The Star|date=4 May 2017|access-date=6 May 2017}}

File:North Borneo and Sabah Population Comparison (1960 and 2010).png

• Demographics of Sarawak
• Demographics of Malaysia

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{Ethnic groups in Malaysia}}

{{Sabah}}

Sabah

Category:Sabah