Where the church stands in Malaysia
Christians are about one in eleven Malaysians, concentrated in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak among indigenous peoples, and among Chinese and Indian Malaysians. Churches there are active, generous and growing.
Malays, however, are defined by the constitution as Muslim, and leaving Islam is effectively impossible in law. Sharing the Gospel with Muslims is restricted, and the unresolved abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh in 2017 remains a symbol of the pressures believers can face.
Signs of hope
Vibrant churches among Borneo's indigenous peoples and Malaysia's Chinese and Indian communities.
The honest difficulty
Legal barriers to Malays following Christ, and restrictions on sharing the Gospel with Muslims.
What "Less-reached" means
There is a church, but it is small relative to the population, or the Christian identity is far more widespread than active faith. Much of the nation can still live a whole life without meeting a follower of Jesus.
In Malaysia the majority religious context is Islam (~64%), Buddhism (~19%). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the The Malay people (over 17 million), constitutionally defined as Muslim.
How to pray for Malaysia
Prayer is not a substitute for going; it is how going begins. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Pray for the Malay people, among the largest unreached peoples in Southeast Asia.
- Thank God for the churches of Sabah and Sarawak.
- Pray for justice and comfort for the family of Pastor Raymond Koh.
- Ask God to give Malaysian believers wisdom and courage in a restricted setting.
Questions people ask about Malaysia
Is Malaysia an unreached nation?
Malaysia is classified as less-reached. There is a church, but it is small relative to the population, or the Christian identity is far more widespread than active faith. Much of the nation can still live a whole life without meeting a follower of Jesus. Roughly 9% of the population identifies as Christian and about 4% as evangelical, with an estimated 70 of its 180 people groups still considered unreached. Figures are rounded estimates and vary by source and year.
How many Christians are there in Malaysia?
About 9% of Malaysia's roughly 35 million people identify as Christian — approximately 3.1 million people. Around 4% are evangelical. The largest group still without meaningful Gospel access is the The Malay people (over 17 million), constitutionally defined as Muslim.
How can I pray for Malaysia?
Pray for the Malay people, among the largest unreached peoples in Southeast Asia. Thank God for the churches of Sabah and Sarawak. Pick one of these, pray it for two minutes a day for a week, and ask one other person to pray it with you.