Summary
Vision
Our vision is to see every people group in this country reached with Christ’s love. To achieve this, we aim for all believers in Malaysia to be discipled and equipped with the vision, skills, and resources necessary to proclaim the message of reconciliation with God, in word and deed, among communities where Christ is not known.
Spiritual Landscape
Malaysia’s religious composition is closely tied to ethnicity: Malays are Muslims, Chinese generally follow Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism, and Indians are mostly Hindu. The indigenous people groups in Sarawak and Sabah are generally nominal or syncretic Christians, while those in Peninsular Malaysia are mostly animist or nominal Muslims.
Christianity was introduced between the 16th and 18th centuries through Western colonial influence. Today, the Christian community spans a wide range of denominations, united in faith across ethnic lines. However, public evangelism remains restricted under Malaysian law, so most outreach occurs through community engagement or programs operated by churches and parachurch groups.
A notable trend is the growth of online Christian resources—including literature, worship services, social media, and virtual communities—which support and connect believers across geographic, linguistic, and legal barriers.
Communities Where Christ is Least Known
Many international students and expatriates, particularly those from Muslim-majority countries, arrive in Malaysia having never heard the gospel. Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers — often living under difficult circumstances — also represent significant unreached populations. Additionally, the indigenous people groups in Peninsular Malaysia, who largely follow animistic beliefs or nominal Islam, remain largely untouched by the good news of Jesus.
quick facts
continent:
Asia
religion:
Muslim 56%, Chinese folk-religions 18%, Christian 9%, Hindu 6%, Buddhist 5%, Ethnic religions 3%
capital city:
Kuala Lumpur
language:
Malay, English, Mandarin & Chinese dialects, Tamil & Indian languages, Iban, Kadazan-Dusun
government:
Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
GDP per capita:
USD 49,400
literacy rate:
96%
population:
90.1% citizens (30.9 million) and 9.9% non-citizens (3.38 million).
ethnic composition:
Malay: 58.2%, Chinese: 22.2%, other Bumiputera: 12.3%, Indian: 6.5%
POPULATION IN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS:
64% (117 out of the 183 people groups)
