Malaysian diaspora

The Malaysian diaspora are Malaysian emigrants from Malaysia and their descendants that reside in a foreign country. Population estimates vary from seven hundred thousand to one million, both descendants of early emigrants from Malaysia, as well as more recent emigrants from Malaysia. The largest of these foreign communities are on the Australian external territory of Christmas Island where they make up the majority as well as significant minorities in Singapore, Australia, Brunei and the United Kingdom.

Overseas Malaysian
Total population
1,730,152[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Christmas Island
Minority populations		More than 981[2]
 Singapore952,261[3][1]
 Bangladesh206,244[1]
 Australia174,136[1]
 United Kingdom84,638[1]
 United States77,647[4][1]
 Brunei52,001[5][6][1]
 China26,248[7][1]
 Canada25,337[1]
 New Zealand17,464[1]
 India12,228[1]
 Japan9,526[8][1]
 Libya8,404[1]
 Germany5,676[1]
 Ireland4,595[1]
 Netherlands4,036[1]
Languages
Languages of Malaysia and various languages of the countries they inhabit
Religion
Religion in Malaysia

Emigration from Malaysia is a complex demographic phenomenon existing for decades and having a number of reasons. The process is the reverse of the immigration to Malaysia. Malaysia does not keep track of emigration, and counts of Malaysians abroad are thus only available courtesy of statistics kept by the destination countries.

Since independence, a total of 688,766 naturalised foreigners had been granted Malaysian citizenship while 10,828 individuals had their citizenships revoked.[9][10] As of 2019, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the population of the Malaysian diaspora stands at 1,730,152.[1]

Reasons of emigration
  • Economic reasons[11][12]
  • Education opportunities (e.g. study abroad)
  • Family reasons (most common with recent immigrants or permanent residents)
  • Marriage to a foreigner with a job in the foreign country
  • Business opportunities[12]
  • Religious reasons
  • Political disenchantment/issues[12]
  • Access to health insurance, and other health reasons (see Universal health care)
  • Evasion of legal liabilities (e.g. crimes, taxes, loans, etc.)

Citizenship

Malaysians can only lose their citizenship in a very limited number of ways. Anyone born to at least one Malaysian parent is considered to be a Malaysian citizen. It is not automatic for a child born abroad to one Malaysian parent to obtain Malaysian citizenship if the Malaysian parent has been living abroad for a long time.

Malaysians residing overseas who have not registered as a Normal Elector before or who wish to be registered as an Absent Voter to participate in any Malaysian election may register with the respective consulate generals, embassies or high commissioners.[13][14] As of 2013, only 8,756 Malaysians (1%) out of over 700,000 Malaysians living abroad have registered as postal voters. 6,092 of the 8,756 registered citizens overseas or 69.82% had cast their votes at 100 Malaysian missions worldwide for the Malaysian general election, 2013.[15]

Population by continent

The list below is of the countries with significant Malaysian populations. Those shown first with exact counts are enumerations of Malaysians who have immigrated to those countries and are legally resident there, does not include those who were born there to one or two Malaysian parents, does not necessarily include those born in Malaysia to parents temporarily in Malaysia and moved with parents by right of citizenship rather than immigration, and does not necessarily include temporary expatriates.

Population of the Malaysia diaspora in 2019
Continent / CountryArticlesOverseas Malaysian Population
Africa13,726
 Libya8,404[1]
Asia1,278,839
 SingaporeMalaysians in Singapore952,261[1]
 Bangladesh206,244[1]
 Brunei52,001[1][6]
 China6,461[1]
 Hong Kong19,787[1]
 IndiaMalaysians in India12,228[16][1]
 Taiwan10,000[17]
 Japan9,526[8][1]
 Indonesia2,363[1]
 Thailand1,369[1]
 Philippines817[1]
Other Asian Countries5,782[1]
Oceania191,784
 AustraliaMalaysian Australian174,136[1][18]
 Christmas IslandChristmas Island#DemographicsMore than 981
 New ZealandMalaysian New Zealander17,464[1][19]
Europe142,348
 United KingdomMalaysians in the United Kingdom84,638[1]
Other European Countries28,855[1]
Americas103,455
 United StatesMalaysian American77,647[1]
 CanadaMalaysian Canadian25,337[1][20]
Other America Countries527[1]


Many Malaysians have relatives in Brunei, similar to Singapore, especially amongst ethnic Malays of Bruneian Malay origin residing in southern Sabah, Federal Territory of Labuan as well as northern Sarawak. There are approximately 9% Malaysian diaspora in Brunei, mostly expatriates working in the petroleum industry (Brunei Shell Petroleum oil company). Malaysians in India consist of expatriates and international students from Malaysia as well as Indian people of Malaysian descent and most of them are ethnic Malaysians of Indian origin, working as well as studying in the home country of their ancestors. In 2011, an estimated 2,500 Malaysians, mostly working for Malaysian-based companies as well as 2,000 students, reside in India, mainly in South India.[16]

The overseas Malaysian diaspora in Singapore is one of the largest with the number standing at 952,261 in 2019, making them the world's largest Malaysian diaspora community. Many Malaysians in Singapore are usually expatriates, working in various industries of the Singapore economy since its rapid industrialisation in the 1970s.[21] In 2010, according to the World Bank, there are 385,979 Singapore residents of Malaysian origin, including permanent residents and Singaporeans.[22]

At the 2016 Census 138,364 Australian residents stated that they were born in Malaysia.[23] As of 2006 census, there is around 14,547 Malaysian-born people lived in New Zealand.

The Malaysian community in the UK is one of the west's largest, this is mainly due to the influence of the British Empire on Malaysia. The 2001 UK Census recorded 49,886 Malaysian-born people, with September 2009 Office for National Statistics estimates putting the figure at around 63,000.

According to answers provided to an open-ended question included in the 2010 United States Census, 26,179 people said that their ancestry or ethnic origin was Malaysian. The Canada 2006 Census recorded 12 165 people self-identifying as Malaysian Canadian, but only 1 820 of these self-identified as exclusively Malaysian Canadian.[20]

References
  1. "International migrant stock 2019". United Nations. Retrieved 25 June 2020. Figures includes Malaysians in UN member nations
  2. Simone Dennis (2008). Christmas Island: An Anthropological Study. Cambria Press. pp. 91–. ISBN 9781604975109.
  3. "GE14: 500,000 Malaysian voters in Singapore to generate friction". The Malaysian Insider. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  4. "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. "Leveraging on Malaysian diaspora". The Star. 16 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. Soong Siew Hoong (29 March 2012). "Some Statistics on Malaysian Working in Overseas Countries in OIC; Commonwealth; BRICS; PIIGS; UN" (PDF). Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. Sara Cluster (21 August 2012). "Malaysia PM: study hard abroad and return home". The Pie News. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. "Japan-Malaysia Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. 7 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  9. Laili (29 March 2016). "688,766 foreigners granted citizenship since Independence - Home Ministry". New Straits Times. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. Martin Carvalho (29 March 2016). "Zahid: Close to 700,000 granted citizenship since Merdeka". The Star. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. "Putting the Malaysian diaspora into perspective". Stanford University. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  12. "The Heat Online - A different Malaysian perspective". Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  13. "High Commission of Malaysia". Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  14. "Malaysia Votes » Exercising your right to vote as a student abroad". Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  15. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia - GE13: Collect your unused ballots, EC tells overseas voters - Home". Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  16. "MALAYSIANS IN INDIA TOLD TO REGISTER AT HIGH COMMISSION", Yahoo Malaysia News, 4 June 2011.
  17. "Facing brain drain, Taiwan looks to poach Malaysian students". The Malay Mail. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  18. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/036?opendocument
  19. "Table 8: New Zealand resident population born in Asia, 1986-2006" (PDF). Asia New Zealand Foundation. p. 12/14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  20. "Ethnic Origin (247), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data". Canada 2006 Census. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  21. Takashi, S. (2009). Across the Causeway: A Multi-dimensional Study of Malaysia-Singapore Relations. p. 125. ISBN 978-9-812-30783-5.
  22. "Malaysia Economic Monitor, The Brain Drain" (PDF). World Bank. April 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  23. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/036?opendocument
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