Malbars
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 180,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Saint-André, Saint-Denis | |
| Languages | |
| French, Réunion Creole | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, syncretic religion, Indic religions, Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Indo-Réunionnais, Tamils, Telugus, Biharis |
Malbars or Malabars are an ethnic group of Indian origin (mainly from a Tamil background) in Réunion, a French island in the Southwest Indian Ocean, The Malbars constitute 25% of the population of Réunion and are estimated to be around 180,000.
There have been people of South Indian origin on the island since the 17th century, and those were mostly from Pondicherry. Most were originally brought in as indentured labourers in the second half of the 19th century and were mostly South Indian Tamils. Since then, the Malbars have developed some patterns of behaviour that are not quite those of their ancestors from Tamil Nadu nor those of the other inhabitants of Réunion.