Malaysia

Region: East & Southeast Asia

Official language: Bahasa Malaysia

Population: 34,564,810 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Malaysian(s) (noun), Malaysian (adjective)

Land area: 328,657 sq km (126,895 sq miles)

Water area: 1,190 sq km (459 sq miles)

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

National anthem: “Negaraku” (My Country), by Collective, Led By Tunku Abdul Rahman/Pierre Jean De Beranger

National holiday: Independence Day August 31(1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day September 16 (1963) (formation of Malaysia)

Population growth: 0.99% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC + 8

Flag: The flag of Malaysia consists of a dark blue canton (upper left quarter) with a background composed of fourteen alternating and equal red and white horizontal stripes (seven each). Within the blue canton are a golden crescent and a fourteen-point golden star. Concepts represented by the flag include unity, Islam, and Malay royalty.

Motto: “Unity is Strength”

Independence: August 31, 1957 (from the UK)

Government type: Constitutional monarchy, nominally headed by paramount ruler (commonly referred to as the king) and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house. All Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers (commonly referred to as sultans) except Melaka (Malacca) and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government. Powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls).

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation

The Federation of Malaysia is a collection of land areas spread over a peninsula that juts into the South China Sea from Thailand, and along the northern coast of Indonesia in southeastern Asia.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Malaysia began as a federation of former British colonies, and its history is evident in the ethnic and linguistic diversity of its people. The population is roughly 63.8% percent Bumiputera, which includes Malays as well as Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak Negeri, and other Indigenous peoples; 20.6 percent Chinese, and 6 percent Indian; 9.6 percent of the population belonged to another ethnic group or were not citizens (2023 estimates).

Although Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, Malaysians commonly speak Chinese dialects, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Thai.

Islam is the official religion, but Malaysia is also religiously tolerant and diverse. Approximately 63.5 percent of its citizens are Muslim, 18.7 percent are Buddhist, 9.1 percent are Christian, 6.1 percent are Hindu, and about 2.7 percent practice Confucianism, Taoism, or other traditional Chinese religions (2020 estimates).

Two-thirds of the country’s population lives in Peninsular Malaysia, on the western side of the South China Sea. The states of Sabah and Sarawak in the eastern half of the country are less developed overall. Malaysia’s urban areas are becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, with international business interests and tourism creating a thorough mix of cultures and people.

In 2021, an estimated 6.2 percent of Malaysia’s population lived below the poverty line. The infant mortality rate is 6.4 deaths for every 1,000 live births (2024 estimate); Malaysia’s population has an average life span of 76.6  years (2024 estimate).

Indigenous People: Archeologists believe that Malaysia’s first inhabitants, the Orang Asli, migrated to the Malaysian Peninsula about ten thousand years ago from southwestern China. Over the millennia, the area fell under the influence of a number of empires and dynasties, such as the Cambodian-based Funan, the Sumatran-based Srivijaya, and the Java-based Majapahit.

As groups of these peoples settled in the area, Malaysia became a unique mix of early Asian cultures. The Chinese empire (Ming dynasty) and Islamic faith both arrived in Malaysia in the early fifteenth century, further changing Malaysia’s culture.

Bumiputera, the term for Indigenous people in Malaysia, means “sons of the soil,” and Orang Asli actually refers to several distinct peoples who are native to the Malaysian Peninsula. The Orang Laut, Orang Seletar, and Mah Meri live close to the coast on Peninsular Malaysia where their livelihood depends on local fishing industries. The Temuan, Jakun, and Semai manage farms and plantations specializing in rubber and cocoa. The Temiar, Che Wong, Jah Hut, Semelai, and Semoq Beri generally live in forested areas, where they grow rice and trade in petai, durian, rattan, and resins. Still others, like the Jahai and Lanoh, are seminomadic hunters and gatherers in Malaysia’s forested regions. As cities grew in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, a number of the Orang Asli relocated to urban areas and adopted urban Malaysian jobs and lifestyles.

Though they do not claim as long a history in Malaysia as the Orang Asli, the Malay people also have the constitutional protections that come with Indigenous status in the Federation. The Malay are originally from a group of Malayo-Polynesian peoples who emigrated from Yunnan, China, circa 2000 BCE. Today, the Malay account for about half of Malaysia’s population and are characterized by their adherence to a form of Islam with ceremonies that are influenced by Hinduism and animist practices.

In Sarawak, Malays form a quarter of the state’s population. These Malays originally migrated from Sumatra and speak a different dialect from the Malays of the Peninsula. Most of Sarawak’s Malays still live along the coast in kampungs (unplanned, low-income housing areas) and make their living from the sea.

Sarawak claims several other groups of non-Malay Indigenous people, including the Bidayu, who were forced into the mountains of Sarawak centuries ago and are also known as “Land Dayaks.” The Iban, who make up one-third of Sarawak’s population, migrated in large numbers from Borneo between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Other groups include the Melanu, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Orang Ulu, Penan, and Punan.

In Sabah, the Kadazandusun are the largest Indigenous group. Other groups include the Rungus, Bajau, and Murut. In all cases, these names refer to a collective assortment of peoples who often speak distinct languages and dialects. Like the Indigenous groups of Sarawak, those of Sabah have found different ways of adapting to their Malaysian landscape. Many, like the Kadazandusun are farmers, while the Bajau have become famous for their horsemanship.

Education: The Malaysian government guarantees a free primary and secondary education for all citizens, and primary education is compulsory. Students may begin preschool at age five. At age six, a child enrolls in primary school for six grades. After sixth grade, students progress to lower secondary schools for three years and finish with upper secondary education at the age of seventeen or eighteen.

Students who fare well on the series of compulsory exams that finish each level of primary and lower education may enroll in higher secondary education, or Sixth Form, for up to two years. Undergraduate and postgraduate studies are provided at Malaysia’s higher education institutions, which enroll more than 250,000 students, including international scholars.

While the government provides almost all primary and lower school education in the country, private institutions dominate higher education. English is a compulsory subject. Most instruction occurs in the Malay language, but the government permits teaching in other languages in regions where another tribal language dominates.

Malaysia’s adult literacy rate was estimated at 95 percent in 2019.

Health Care: Malaysia’s national health care system provides medical care at little or no cost depending on the income level of the patient. Government-subsidized health stations throughout the country provide general treatment, emergency care, and educational programs. The government also funds more than one hundred public hospitals throughout the country.

For those who can afford them, Malaysia’s more populated areas have private physicians and practices, and private hospitals that are generally better equipped and better staffed than those provided by the government. Malaysia ranked 63 out of 193 countries and territories. United Nations Human Development Index in 2022.

Food: Food in Malaysia is as varied as the people themselves. Influenced by the cuisines of Indonesia, India, the Middle East, and China, traditional Malay food generally consists of meat or fish cooked in a pot of herbs and spices. Flavorful and spicy, the cuisine uses lemongrass, pandan leaves, and makrut lime leaves, as well as basil, nutmeg, turmeric, and ginger. All meals are served with rice.

Malaysians also eat Indian, Thai, and Chinese-based foods that incorporate cumin, coriander, chili paste, onions, garlic, or coconut milk. While some of these cuisines remain distinct in restaurants and homes throughout the country, Malaysia’s people have blended them into unique dishes found only in Malaysia.

Arts & Entertainment: Like its population, Malaysia’s traditional art is diverse, influenced by Chinese, Indian, and Malay popular forms. The work of Batik artisans, Chinese potters, and Malay bead workers from Sabah and Sarawak and silver artisans can be found throughout Malaysia.

Traditional Malaysian music depends on complex percussion patterns. Some of the most common drums include the double-headed gendang, the geduk, and the gedombak. The rebana, a huge drum formed from a hollowed-out log, originally allowed communication over long distances. Drumming festivals are still popular in Malaysia, particularly in May and June, and drumming teams compete for awards.

The Joget is Malaysia’s most popular form of dance. A traditional, fast-paced dance performed by couples, the Joget originated in traditional Portuguese dances brought to the region by traders. People in Sabah and Sarawak have their own traditional dances, one of which involves bamboo rods that dancers must negotiate while maintaining the dance’s rhythm and movements.

Malaysia also has its own sort of dance-drama, performed in front of a full orchestra. Called mak yong, this elaborate spectacle was originally performed for royal courts.

Holidays: Malaysia celebrates a number of Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim holidays, including Ramadan in October, the Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday (Maulidur Rasul) in May, and Chinese New Year, and Deepavali in January and November.

Like other followers of Islam throughout the world, Malaysia’s Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan with fasting from sunset to sundown, until the first new moon signals the beginning of the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr. Other religious observances include Thaipusam in January or February and Deepavali, a festival of lights celebrated by Hindu people.

Malaysia also has a number of secular holidays. On August 31, cities and villages all over the country host celebrations in honor of Malaysia’s independence. Malaysia Day, celebrated on September 16, commemorates the formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963.

Environment and Geography

Topography: In Peninsular and Eastern Malaysia, coastal areas are broad, flat lowlands that gradually climb in elevation near the mountainous interiors. The difference in altitude can be striking. Malaysia contains two of Southeast Asia’s highest peaks: Gunung Tahan in Peninsula Malaysia’s Titiwangsa Mountain range, and Gunung Kinbalu, a 4,095-meter (13,435-foot)-high peak in Sabah.

Natural Resources: Malaysia’s ancient rainforests have provided an ample supply of mature hardwoods over the past five centuries. However, Malaysia also has natural gas and oil reserves and large deposits of tin.

Plants & Animals: Tropical rainforests cover about two-thirds of Malaysia. The government has already set aside more than 1.5 million hectares (3,706,566 acres) of this land for preservation.

Scientists estimate that Malaysia’s rainforests sustain more than 210 species of mammals, 620 species of birds, and about 15,000 species of flowering trees and plants. Many of these species are now vulnerable or endangered, including the Malayan sun bear and the Malayan gharial (false gharial), a fish-eating crocodile. Ecologists are also concerned about the country’s rapidly disappearing rainforests and tropical hardwood trees.

Climate: Malaysia lies only seven degrees north of the equator, giving the country a tropical climate throughout. Temperatures range from 21 degrees to 32 degrees Celsius (70 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit) year-round. Malaysia has an average annual rainfall of 2,000 to 2,500 millimeters (79 to 99 inches). The humidity in Malaysia hovers around 80 percent throughout the year.

Monsoons frequently blow in from the northeast between the months of November and March, and from the southeast between May and September. Between monsoons, rainfall increases.

Economy

Industry: Since the 1970s, Malaysia’s economy has undergone dramatic changes. Once dependent on exports of natural resources, Malaysia is increasingly developing into a multisector economy, though exports remain an important part of the country's economy. In 2023, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) was US$399.649 billion, with a GDP per capita of US$33,600

Malaysia still depends on the processing and export of certain natural resources: palm oil, hardwoods, petroleum, chemicals, and textiles. The Federation’s most important trading partners include the United States, Singapore, Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, and Thailand. As a result of its dependence on Asian markets, Malaysia’s economy suffered significantly with the Asian economic crisis of 1997. Malaysia’s economic growth was also slowed by the global financial downturn that began in 2007, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered a global economic slowdown starting in early 2020.

Agriculture: The agricultural industry accounted for less than ten percent of Malaysia's gross domestic product by the 2020s, but remained an important aspect of daily life for many people in Malaysia. While economic centers on Peninsular Malaysia are increasingly dependent on industry, agriculture—including subsistence farming—is important in many of the communities in Sabah and Sarawak.

Peninsular Malaysia exports rubber, palm oil, cocoa, and rice. In Sabah, the agriculture focus is on subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, and rice. Sarawak exports rubber, pepper, and timber. Oil and gas exports also provide a small but important source of government revenue.

Tourism: Malaysia is increasingly developing a stronger tourism industry. With more government plans to protect Malaysia’s natural resources and to diversify its manufacturing and export-based economy, the country is aggressively pursuing tourists from within and outside of Southeast Asia. In 2018, Malaysia's travel and tourism industry contributed US$47.2 billion, or 13.3 percent, to the national GDP, and provided for more than 1.766 million jobs. That year more than 25.8 million visitors travelled to Malaysia. However, the sector suffered a severe setback during the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down most international travel and also led to domestic travel restrictions within Malaysia. By 2022, the tourism industry had begun to recover, with tourist arrivals reaching over 10 million that year.

Government

Malaysia is composed of thirteen states, called negeri: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu. The country also has one federal territory, called Wilayah Persekutuan, which is composed of the three cities of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya.

Malaysia has a unique form of constitutional monarchy. Each state, except Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka, and Pulau Pinang, is run by a hereditary ruler, called a sultan, who is subject to federal law. In the remaining four states, a governor is appointed to run the local government. At the federal level, Malaysia has two houses of Parliament (Parlimen), one elected (the lower house, called the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat) and one appointed (the upper house, called the Senate or Dewan Negara). A chief of state, called the king, is elected every five years by and from the sultans. The king has the final say on the appointment of the prime minister and cabinet. The prime minister is the head of government and is the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives. The 222 members of the House of Representatives are directly elected in single-seat constituencies to serve five-year terms. Of the seventy senators, forty-four are appointed by the king and twenty-six are elected by state legislatures to serve three-year terms.

The voting age in Malaysia is twenty-one and suffrage is universal.

After an armed uprising, often referred to as the Malayan Emergency or Anti-British National Liberation War, Malaysia gained its independence from the British government on August 31, 1957. Originally consisting of Peninsular Malaysia only, the state formed a federation with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on July 9, 1963. Singapore left the federation on August 9, 1965, eventually becoming its own independent state.

In 2022 - Anwar Ibrahim wins election as head of multi-ethnic coalition.

Interesting Facts

• Joseph Conrad, one of English literature’s most renowned authors, set three of his novels in Malaysia: Lord Jim (1900), Victory (1915), and The Rescue (1920).
• Archeologists found a skull from the Niah Caves in Sarawak that dates to 35000 BCE.
• Genetic biologists are currently combing Malaysia’s rainforests for medicinal plants to fight cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses.
• The pomelo, a fruit native to Malaysia, is the largest citrus fruit in the world.

Bibliography

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“Malaysia.” The World Bank, data.worldbank.org/country/malaysia. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

“Malaysia.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malaysia/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

“Malaysia: Statistics.” United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, 27 Dec. 2013, data.unicef.org/country/mys/. Accessed 25 July 2016.

"Malaysia Tourism Statistics in Brief." Tourism Malaysia, 2023, www.tourism.gov.my/statistics. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

Travel & Tourism: Economic Impact 2018, Malaysia. World Travel & Tourism Council, Mar. 2018, www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2018/malaysia2018.pdf. Accessed 24 July 2018.

“Malaysia.” BBC News, 19 May 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15356257. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.