The Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia

The Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia, numbering approximately 2,415,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Han Chinese ethnolinguistic group of southern Fujian who speak Southern Min languages and share a maritime cultural heritage shaped by trade, migration, and longstanding ties to Taiwan and Southeast Asia. They mostly adhere to Chinese Folk Religion and Min Nan Chinese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Han Chinese, Min Nan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Chinese
Primary Language(s): Min Nan Chinese (nan)
Primary Religion(s): Chinese Folk Religion
Population: 2,415,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG046598
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Pray for the Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia

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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Chinese Folk Religion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

80%
%
Chinese Folk Religion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Min Nan Chinese
Language Family: Southern Daly

100%
%
Chinese, Min Nan Speakers

Media Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Min Nan Chinese:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Wycliffe Malaysia✓✓
Today's Taiwanese Version✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Min Nan Chinese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Han Chinese (Min Nan) are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Han Chinese (Min Nan):
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Han Chinese (Min Nan) of Malaysia

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
readRomans 3:23

Pray that those who live in fear, guilt and discontentment because of sin will see their need for change, hear, and receive the good news of freedom from sin through Christ.

Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
readPsalm 96:2

Pray that gospel resources will reach this generation so that they will receive the good news and sing to the LORD, bless His name, and tell of His salvation each day.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
readHebrews 10:39

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, and faithfully follow God, they will share Christ boldly with those around them.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
read1 Corinthians 15:10–11

Pray that God's people will preach the message of Jesus' death and resurrection and that it will spread among the lost through the selfless witness of believers.

Han Chinese, Min Nan Across Countries (ROP3 - 102140) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

10 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Han Chinese, TaiwaneseHan Chinese, TaiwaneseArgentina1,400No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)China35,550,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseAgnosticism
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Taiwan13,680,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Singapore1,790,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Peru7,700No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Malaysia2,415,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)United States156,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseUnaffiliated
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Canada29,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han Chinese (Min Nan)Han Chinese (Min Nan)Hong Kong418,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion
Han ChineseHan ChinesePhilippines1,275,000No Longer UnreachedMin Nan ChineseChinese Folk Religion

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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