The Malay World refers to the Malay cultural and linguistic sphere of influence, covering the archipelago of modern-day Indonesia, and also the Malay Peninsula, all of Borneo (including Brunei), the Philippines, and East Timor as well.

The term Alam Melayu is the equivalent of "Malay World" in Malay.

Most of the languages spoken in the region are part of the Malayo-Polynesian family, including Tagalog, widely spoken in the Philippines, Javanese spoken in Java, and of course Malay, spoken in Malaysia (where it is known as Bahasa Malaysia), Indonesia (where it is known as Bahasa Indonesia), and Brunei (where it is called Bahasa Melayu, as indeed it sometimes is in Malaysia).

The culture in the region is influenced by a number of religions. Islam is predominant in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. Catholicism is predominant in the Philippines and East Timor. West Malaysia is home to a great number of Buddhists and Christians of various denominations, along with a few Hindus. Hinduism predominates in Bali.