Ethnic Chinese in Brunei
Ethnic Chinese in Brunei are people of full or partial Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry who are citizens or residents in Brunei. As of 2015, they constitute 10.1% of the country's population, making them the second largest ethnic group in Brunei. Brunei is home to one of the smaller communities of overseas Chinese. Many Chinese in Brunei are stateless.
汶萊華人 Orang Cina di Brunei اورڠ چينا د بروني | |
|---|---|
Chinese women and children in Kuala Belait, 1945. | |
| Total population | |
| 42,132 9.6% of the Bruneian population (2021) | |
| Languages | |
| English and Malay as medium of communication in schools and government • Mandarin (lingua franca) • Chinese varieties such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism • Christianity • Taoism • Islam • Chinese folk religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Singaporean Chinese · Malaysian Chinese · Indonesian Chinese · Overseas Chinese |
Ethnic Chinese in Brunei were encouraged to settle because of their commercial and business acumen. The biggest Chinese group is the Hokkien; many originated from Kinmen and Xiamen in China. The Hakka and Cantonese represent a minority of the Chinese population. Despite their small numbers, the Hokkien have a considerable presence in Brunei's private and business sector, providing commercial and entrepreneurial expertise and often operating joint business ventures with Malaysian Chinese enterprises.