Malays of Singapore (PGID: PG010713)

PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Malays of Singapore

The Malays of Singapore, numbering approximately 745,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are constitutionally recognized as Singapore's indigenous people, descended from the small Malay and seafaring Orang Laut communities present at Raffles's 1819 arrival, the Orang Laut later assimilating into the Malay ethnic identity. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Malay (individual language) is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Malay

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Singapore
People Cluster: Malay
Primary Language(s): Malay (individual language) (zlm)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 745,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG010713
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Pray for the Malays of Singapore

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Pray Now!

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

99%

Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Malay (individual language)
Language Family: Austronesian

100%

Malay Speakers

Media Resources in Malay (individual language):

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film
The Savior	View Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Malay (individual language):

Bible Name (Translation)	Video	Audio	Text
2001 Today's Malay Version		✓	✓
Alkitab Versi Borneo	✓	✓	✓

2 entries

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Malay (individual language) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Malays are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Malays:

Continue prayer and fasting for this group

Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Malays of Singapore

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8

Pray for those living in darkness to recognize the destructive power of sin and the victory Christ has won over it.

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16

Pray that many will see clearly that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and put their trust in Him.

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
Psalm 3:5-6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and experience isolation or other persecution, God will sustain them and give them confidence and rest in Him.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4-5

Ask God to send believers to people in other cultures and to help them use their gifts in harmony with others so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Malay Across Countries (ROP3 - 106144) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

10 people groups

People Group ID ▼	Name	Country	Population	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
PG043435	Malays	Canada	11,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG043339	Malays	United States	10,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG020134	Malays	Malaysia	13,670,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG015369	Malays	Mayotte	325	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG015276	Malays	Comoros	1,100	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG010713	Malays	Singapore	745,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG009476	Malays	Myanmar	27,000	Unengaged and Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG007977	Malays	Australia	21,500	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam
PG006435	Malays	Sri Lanka	73,500	Unengaged and Unreached	Sri Lankan Creole Malay	Sunni Islam
PG000656	Malays	United Kingdom	56,000	Engaged yet Unreached	Malay (individual language)	Sunni Islam

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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