As of 2025, the Indian ethnic group (primarily Malaysian Indians of South Asian origin, mostly Tamil with smaller communities from other parts of India) makes up 6.5% of Malaysia's total population, according to official data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Malaysia’s total population in 2025 is estimated at around 34.2–34.3 million (with quarterly figures hovering in this range, such as 34.3 million in Q3/Q4 2025).
This means the Indian population is approximately 2.0–2.2 million people. More precise citizen-focused figures from DOSM estimates place the Indian citizen population at roughly 2.0 million (e.g., around 2,006,100 as of early 2025 in some breakdowns).
Key Context:
- **Ethnic composition** (citizens, 2025): Malays ~58.1–58.2%, Chinese ~22.2–22.4%, Other Bumiputera ~12.3%, **Indians 6.5%**, Others ~0.8%. Indians are the third-largest ethnic group after Malays and Chinese (within the Bumiputera category, which combines Malays and indigenous groups).
- The share has been stable or slightly declining in recent years (from ~6.6% in 2020–2024), due to lower birth rates compared to the Malay population.
- Most Malaysian Indians are citizens (Persons of Indian Origin or PIOs), with a smaller number of recent non-resident Indians (NRIs). Some broader overseas Indian estimates include up to ~2.9 million when counting all people of Indian descent or temporary residents, but official Malaysian statistics focus on the ethnic Indian citizen group at ~6.5%.
- They are concentrated in states like Selangor, Penang, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, with historical roots in plantation labor, trade, and professional migration.
These figures come from DOSM’s quarterly demographic releases and current population estimates for 2025. The exact number can vary slightly by quarter due to births, deaths, and migration, but 6.5% (~2 million) is the consistent official benchmark.
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