Singaporean Malay or Malay Singaporean (; Jawi:) are defined by the Singaporean government and by intellectuals in the country using the broader concept of the Malay race, akin to the Malaysian definition. Although the Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century AD, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants from Indonesia and Malaysia since 1945 and their descendents. From the 19th century until World War II, the Malays enjoyed favourable treatment and disproportionate employment to colonial governmental posts; this was concurrent with a sharp increase in the Malay population by immigration to Singapore from the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra and the Celebes. Coming from various background from the Malay world, nonetheless they are tied together by a similar Malay cultural assimilation.
