Malaysian Malayali


Malaysian Malayalees, also known as Malayalee Malaysians, are people of full or partial Malayali descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia from the Malayalam speaking regions of Kerala and Mahe, Puducherry, in South West India or the union territory of Lakshadweep, a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, off the southwestern coast of India. They make up around 17.29% of the Malaysian Indian populations in Malaysia. The bulk of Malayali Malaysian migration began during the British Raj, when Britain facilitated the migration of Indian workers to work in plantations.

History

Education was an important factor in Malayalee migration to this country. Malaya’s British rulers during that time encouraged Malayalee migrants as they needed educated, English-speaking people to work as supervisors, teachers, clerks, and in other semi-professional position.

Population

The Malaysian Malayalees form the second largest group of Indians in Malaysia. The Malaysian Malayalee population is estimated to be 348,000 in 2020.