Malaysians
{{Short description|Citizens or people of Malaysia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2015}}
{{Other uses|Malaysian (disambiguation)}}
{{for|information on the population of Malaysia|Demographics of Malaysia}}
{{Distinguish|Malays (ethnic group)}}
{{Infobox nationality
| group = Malaysians
| native_name = {{native name|ms|Orang Malaysia}}
| image = File:Map of the Malaysian Diaspora in the World.svg
| caption = Map of the Malaysian diaspora around the world
| pop = {{circa}} 34–35 million
(Malaysian diaspora 1,730,152){{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates19.asp|title=International migrant stock 2019|year=2019|at=International migrant stock – By destination and origin|publisher=United Nations|access-date=June 25, 2020}} Figures includes Malaysians in UN member nations
- direct link to .xlsx file: [https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/data/UN_MigrantStockByOriginAndDestination_2019.xlsx]
- In Table 1 under Column EE "Malaysia", Rows are the destinations.
| popplace = Malaysia {{formatnum: {{#expr: (28334.135+1.264*{{Age in days|2010|7|6}}) round 0}}000}} (2017 est.)
(excluding the diaspora){{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=213&lang=en|title=Malaysia Population Clock|publisher=Department of Statistics, Malaysia|access-date=16 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205145703/http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=213&lang=en|archive-date=5 December 2013}}
| region1 = Christmas Island
Minority populations
| pop1 = More than 981
| region2 = Singapore
| pop2 = 952,261
| region4 = Australia
| region5 = United Kingdom
| region6 = United States
| pop6 = 77,647{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118121537/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2015|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=30 November 2012}}
| region7 = Brunei
| pop7 = 52,001{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2F2012%2F3%2F16%2Fbusiness%2F10917696&|title=Leveraging on Malaysian diaspora|work=The Star|date=16 March 2012|access-date=23 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006184731/http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2F2012%2F3%2F16%2Fbusiness%2F10917696&|archive-date=6 October 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chinesechamber.org.my/html/themes/chinesechamber/images/content/bulletin342/Some%20Statistics%20on%20Malaysians%20Working%20in%20Overseas%20Countries%20in%20OIC;%20Commonwealth;%20BRICS;%20PIIGS;%20UN.pdf|title=Some Statistics on Malaysian Working in Overseas Countries in OIC; Commonwealth; BRICS; PIIGS; UN|author=Soong Siew Hoong|publisher=Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor|date=29 March 2012|access-date=23 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019221336/http://www.chinesechamber.org.my/html/themes/chinesechamber/images/content/bulletin342/Some%20Statistics%20on%20Malaysians%20Working%20in%20Overseas%20Countries%20in%20OIC;%20Commonwealth;%20BRICS;%20PIIGS;%20UN.pdf|archive-date=19 October 2017|url-status=dead}}
| region8 = China
| pop8 = 26,248{{cite web|url=http://thepienews.com/news/malaysia-pm-urges-students-abroad-to-study-hard-and-return-home/|title=Malaysia PM: study hard abroad and return home|author=Sara Cluster|publisher=The Pie News|date=21 August 2012|access-date=23 April 2015}}
| region9 = Canada
| region10 = Japan
| pop10 = 18,821{{cite web|url=https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/malaysia/data.html|title=Japan-Malaysia Relations (Basic Data)|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=7 July 2018|access-date=29 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507110005/https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/malaysia/data.html|archive-date=7 May 2022|url-status=live}}
| region11 = New Zealand
| region12 = India
| pop12 = 12,228
| region13 = Libya
| region14 = Germany
| region15 = Ireland
| region16 = Netherlands
| region17 = Brazil
| region18 = Indonesia
| languages = Malay, English
Malayic{{*}}North Bornean{{*}}Melanau-Kajang{{*}}Aslian{{*}}Land Dayak{{*}}Sama–Bajaw{{*}}Philippine{{*}}Murutic
| rels = Predominantly
File:Star and Crescent.svg Islam
63.5%
Minority
{{hlist|Buddhism 18.7%||Christianity 9.1%|Hinduism 6.1%}}
| related_groups = Bruneians, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Thai Malays, Burmese Malays
}}
Malaysians (Malay: Orang Malaysia) 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/05/03/Survey-Most-prefer-to-be-known-as-Msian/|title=Survey: Most prefer to be known as Malaysian|author1=Neville Spykerman|author2=Michelle Tam|author3=Victoria Brown|work=The Star|date=3 May 2015|access-date=3 May 2015}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Malaysia/People|title=Malaysia - Ethnic Groups, Languages, Religions | Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}
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.
Population
{{main|Demographics of Malaysia}}
{{see also|Immigration to Malaysia}}
As of 2010, Malaysians make up 0.4% of the world's total population, having relied upon immigration for population growth and social development. Approximately 30% of current Malaysians are first- or second-generation immigrants, and 20 percent of Malaysian residents in the 2000s were not born in Malaysian soil.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} It is estimated, by 2031, nearly one-half of Malaysians above the age of 15 will be foreign born or have one foreign born parent. Bumiputera, according to the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150301154300/http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Population/files/census2010/Taburan_Penduduk_dan_Ciri-ciri_Asas_Demografi.pdf 2010 Malaysian Census], numbered at 17,523,508 or 61.85% of the country's 28,334,135 population.
=Citizenship and diaspora=
{{main|Malaysian nationality law|Malaysian diaspora}}
The Malaysian diaspora has a population of 1,730,152 in 2019, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Malaysia does not keep track of emigration and counts of Malaysians abroad are thus only available courtesy of statistics kept by the destination countries. The diaspora includes both descendants of early emigrants from Malaysia, as well as more recent emigrants from Malaysia.
Since independence, a total of 688,766 naturalised foreigners had been granted Malaysian citizenship while 10,828 individuals had their citizenships revoked.{{cite web|url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/135836/688766-foreigners-granted-citizenship-independence-home-ministry|title=688,766 foreigners granted citizenship since Independence - Home Ministry|author=Laili|publisher=New Straits Times|date=29 March 2016|access-date=29 June 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/03/29/zahid-close-to-700000-granted-citizenship-since-merdeka/|title=Zahid: Close to 700,000 granted citizenship since Merdeka|author=Martin Carvalho|work=The Star|date=29 March 2016|access-date=29 June 2016}} The community of Malaysians in Australian external territory of Christmas Island makes up the majority of the population, while Singapore has the largest minority community of Malaysians, with 952,261 people, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
=Ethnic groups and citizenship=
{{main|Ethnic origins of people in Malaysia}}
Classification of 2010 Census ethnic group is as set by Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) in Appendix 1. IATC is a committee formed to co-ordinate and monitor the implementation and use of standardised codes, classifications and definitions used by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia and other government agencies. For the purpose of tabulation and analysis, as well as taking into account the diverse ethnic group in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Federal Territory of Labuan and Sarawak, major ethnic groups according to region as follows:
| class=wikitable | ||
| Peninsular Malaysia | Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan | Sarawak |
|---|---|---|
| colspan=3| Malaysian Citizens | ||
| Bumiputera | Bumiputera Malay | Bumiputera Malay | ||
| colspan=3|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} Other Bumiputera
{{div col end}} | ||
| colspan=3|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} Other Malays / Anak Dagang
{{div col end}} | ||
| colspan=3|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} Non-Bumiputera
Others
{{div col end}} | ||
| colspan=3| Non-Malaysian Citizens (including Permanent Residents) | ||
| colspan=3|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
{{div col end}} |
Information collected in the census including ethnic group and citizenship was based on respondent's answer and did not refer to any official document.
Information on citizenship should be used with caution as it is subject to content and coverage errors especially for non-citizens as in censuses in most countries.
Culture
=Language=
{{main|Languages of Malaysia}}
Malaysia contains speakers of 137 living languages,{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MY |title=Ethnologue report for Malaysia |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=18 October 2010}} 41 of which are found in Peninsula Malaysia.{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MYP |title=Ethnologue report for Malaysia (Peninsular) |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=18 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510095800/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MYP |archive-date=10 May 2011 }} Malaysian, or Standard Malay, is the official language, while English is considered the de facto language for business. The Bumiputeras speak various Austronesian and Austroasiatic languages as well as language families with smaller number of speakers such as Tai-Kadai and Creoles. Chinese Malaysians predominantly speak varieties of Chinese from the southern provinces of China. The more common varieties in the country are Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Teochew, Hainanese, and Fuzhou. Tamil is the predominant among Indian Malaysians, though languages like Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi are also spoken.
=Religion=
File:Percentage distribution of Malaysian population by religion, 2010.svg
{{main|Religion in Malaysia|Islam in Malaysia|Buddhism in Malaysia|Christianity in Malaysia|Hinduism in Malaysia|Malaysian folk religion}}
The Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of religion while making Islam the state religion.{{cite web |url=http://asia.isp.msu.edu/wbwoa/southeast_asia/malaysia/religion.htm |title=Malaysia – Religion |publisher=Asian Studies Center – Michigan State University |access-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809081015/http://asia.isp.msu.edu/wbwoa/southeast_asia/malaysia/religion.htm |archive-date=9 August 2011 |df=dmy-all }} According to the Population and Housing Census 2010 figures, ethnicity and religious beliefs correlate highly. Approximately 61.3% of the population practice Islam, 19.8% practice Buddhism, 9.2% Christianity, 6.3% Hinduism and 1.3% practice Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions. 0.7% declared no religion and the remaining 1.4% practised other religions or did not provide any information.
{{Portal|Malaysia}}
References
{{reflist|2}}