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Johor is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to the east and west. As of 2023, the state's population is 4.09 million, making it the second most populous state in Malaysia, after Selangor. Johor Bahru is the capital city and the economic centre of the state, Kota Iskandar is the state administrative centre and Muar serves as the royal capital.
Johor is one of Malaysia's most important economic hubs, having the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in Malaysia outside of the Klang Valley, making it the country's second largest state economy. Its household income and total salaries are also the second highest among all Malaysian states. Johor has the world's second largest artificial intelligence hub, robust manufacturing and logistics centres, and home to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world. Located in southern Johor, Iskandar Malaysia is Malaysia's largest special economic zone by investment value.
Johor's history began with the Johor Sultanate, which emerged as a rump state of the Malacca Sultanate. It operated as a sovereign state until the arrival of European powers, when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 divided the wider polity between the British Empire and the Dutch and fixed Johor's modern boundaries. Johor remained largely self-governing until 1885, when British oversight increased through the appointment of a General Adviser who directed all affairs over the Sultan apart from matters of local religion and customs. Johor became a British protected state within the Unfederated Malay States in 1914, a position interrupted only by the Japanese occupation of Malaya. After the war, it joined the Malayan Union in 1946 and subsequently the Federation of Malaya in 1948, the latter of which gained its independence from the British in 1957, before entering modern-day Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.
Johor has high diversity in ethnicity, culture, language, and is known for its traditional dance of zapin and Kuda lumping. The head of state is the Sultan of Johor, while the head of government is the Chief Minister. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster system. Johor is divided into administrative districts, with Johor Bahru District being the second largest district in Malaysia by population and economy. Islam is the state religion, but other religions can be freely practised. Johor has biodiversity tropical and an equatorial climate. Situated at the southern foothills of the Tenasserim Hills, inselbergs and massifs dominate the state's flat landscape, with Mount Ledang being the highest point.
After Aceh was left weakened, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) arrived and Johor formed an alliance with them to eliminate the Portuguese in the 1641 capture of Malacca. Johor regained authority over many of its former dependencies in Sumatra, such as Siak (1662) and Indragiri (1669), which had fallen to Aceh while Malacca was taken by the Dutch. Malacca was placed under the direct control of Batavia in Java. Although Malacca fell under Dutch authority, the Dutch did not establish any further trading posts in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, as they had more interest in Java and the Maluku Islands. The Dutch only become involved with local disputes when the Bugis began to threaten their maritime trade.
The dynasty that descended from the rulers of Malacca lasted until the death of Mahmud II, when it was succeeded by the Bendahara dynasty, a dynasty of ministers who had previously served in the Malacca Sultanate. The Dutch felt increasingly threatened in the 18th century, especially when the English East India Company started to establish a presence in the northern Malay Peninsula, leading the Dutch to seize the Bugis areas of Riau and expel the Bugis from both Riau and Selangor so these areas would not fall under British rule. This ended Bugis political domination in the Johor-Pahang-Riau empire, resulting in the Bugis being banned from Riau in 1784.Aruna Gopinath (1991). 9789839961423, Council of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. ISBN 9789839961423 During the rivalry between the Bugis and Dutch, Mahmud Shah III concluded a treaty of protection with the VOC on board the HNLMS Utrecht and the sultan was allowed to reside in Riau with Dutch protection. Since then, mistrust between the Bugis and Malay escalated. From 1796 to 1801 and from 1807 to 1818, Malacca was placed under British Residency as the Netherlands were conquered by France in the Napoleonic Wars and was returned to the Dutch in 1818. Malacca served as the staging area for the British Invasion of Java in 1811.
With the partition of the Johor Empire due to the dispute between the Bugis and Malay and following the defined spheres of influence for the British and Dutch resulting from the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, Daeng Ibrahim intended to create a new administrative centre for the Johor Sultanate under the new dynasty. As he maintained a close relationship with the British and the latter wanted full control over trade in Singapore, a treaty was signed between Daeng Ibrahim and Hussein Shah's successor, Ali Iskandar, recognising Ali as the next sultan. Through the treaty, Ali was crowned as the sultan and received $5,000 (in ) and an allowance of $500 per month, but was required to cede the sovereignty of the territory of Johor (except Kesang of Muar District, which would be the only territory under his control) to Daeng Ibrahim.
(1996). 9780864423931, Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 9780864423931
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Following the establishment of a new capital in mainland Johor, the administrative centre was moved from Telok Blangah in Singapore. As the area was still an undeveloped jungle, the Temenggong encouraged the migration of Overseas Chinese and Javanese people to clear the land and develop an agricultural economy in Johor. During Daeng Ibrahim's reign, Johor began to be modernised which was continued by his son, Abu Bakar. In 1885, an Anglo-Johor Treaty was signed that formalised the close relations between the two, with the British given transit rights for trade through Johor's territory and responsibility for its foreign relations, as well as providing protection to the latter. It was also in this year that Johor had formed its present-day boundary. The treaty also provided for the appointment of a British agent in an indirect rule, although no advisor was appointed until 1910. Abu Bakar also implemented a constitution known as the Johor State Constitution (Malay: Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor) and organised his administration in a British style. (2011). 9789382573470, Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9789382573470 By adopting an English-style modernisation policy, Johor temporarily prevented itself from being directly controlled by the British, as happened to other Malay states.
Under the reign of Ibrahim, the British appointed Douglas Graham Campbell as an advisor to the sultanate in 1910, although the sultan only appointed Campbell as a General Adviser unlike in other Malayan states which had Resident Advisors, becoming the last Malay state to accept a British Adviser. However, due to Ibrahim's overspending, the sultanate faced problems caused by the falling price of its major source of revenue and problems between him and members of his state council, which gave the British an opportunity to intervene in Johor's internal affairs. Despite Ibrahim's reluctance to appoint a British adviser, Johor was brought under British control as one of the Unfederated Malay States (UMS) by 1914, with the position of its General Adviser elevated to that of a Resident in the Federated Malay States (FMS).
On 8 February, the Japanese began to bombard the northwestern coastline of Singapore, which was followed by the crossing of the IJA 5th and 18th Divisions with around 13,000 troops through the Straits of Johor. The following day, the Imperial Guard Division crossed into Kranji while the remaining Japanese Guard troops crossed through the repaired Johor–Singapore Causeway. Following the occupation of all of Malaya and Singapore by the Japanese, Tokugawa proposed a reform plan by which the five kingdoms of Johor, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah-Penang and Perlis would be restored and federated. Under the scheme, Johor would control Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca while a area in the southern part of Johor would be incorporated into Singapore for defence purposes. The five monarchs of the kingdoms would be obliged to pledge loyalty to Japan, would need to visit the Japanese royal family every two years, and would assure the freedom of religion, worship, employment and Private property to all people and accord every Japanese person residing in the kingdoms with treatment equal to indigenous people.
Meanwhile, Ōtani Kōzui of the Nishi Hongan-ji sub-sect of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism suggested that the sultan system should be abolished and Japan should rule the Malay kingdoms under a Japanese constitutional monarchy government. Japanese War Minister Hideki Tōjō, however, had already reminded their government staff in Malaya to refrain from acting superior to the sultan and to pay respect so the sultan would co-operate with the gunsei (Japanese military organisation). In May, many high-ranking Japanese officials returned to Tokyo City to consult with officials of the War Ministry and General Staff on how to deal with the Sultan. Upon their return to Singapore in July, they published a document called "A Policy for the Treatment of the Sultan", which was a demand for the Sultan to surrender his power over his people and land to the Japanese emperor through the IJA commander. The military organisation demanded the Sultan surrender his power in a manner reminiscent of the way the Tokugawa shogunate surrendered their power to the Japanese emperor in 1868. Through the Japanese administration, many massacres of civilians occurred with an estimate that 25,000 ethnic Chinese civilians in Johor perished during the occupation. In spite of that, the Japanese established the Endau Settlement (also known as the New Syonan Model Farm) in Endau for Chinese settlers to ease the food supply problem in Singapore.
Johor and the rest of Malaya were officially placed under the British Military Administration (BMA) in September 1945 and the MPAJA was disbanded in December after its secretary-general, Lai Teck (who was also a double agent for the British), accepted the return of British colonial rule and adopted a moderate "open and legal" attitude towards progressing their goals with most members receiving medals from the British the following year. There was a dispute after the British had returned when Lai Teck disappeared with the CPM funds. The party administration was taken over by Chin Peng, who abandoned the "moderate strategy" in favour of a "people's revolutionary war", culminating in the Malayan Emergency of 1948. During the emergency period, large-scale attacks by the CPM occurred in the present-day Kulai District and other parts of Malaya, but failed to establish Mao Zedong-style "liberated areas".
Fighting between the British occupation forces and their Malayan allies against the CPM continued through the formation of the Malayan Union on 1 April 1946 and the proclamation of the independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. At the time of independence there were three political factions: the Communists, the pro-British, and a race-based coalition. The pro-British side was divided between the Malayan Democratic Union (MDU), which was dominated by English-speaking Chinese and Eurasians who co-operate with left-wing Malay nationalists "for an independent Malaya that would also include Singapore" and another pro-British side comprising the Babas under the Straits Chinese British Association (SCBA), who were trying to retain their status and privileges granted for their loyalty to the British during the Straits Settlements era by remaining under British administration. Meanwhile, the racial coalition, comprising the leading United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in an alliance with the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), sought an independent Malaya based on a racial and religious privileges policy and won the 1955 Malayan general election, with the capital of Johor Bahru being the centre of the UMNO party.
Since the end of the confrontation, the state's development has expanded further with industrial estates and new suburbs. Of the total approved development projects for Johor from 1980 until 1990, 69 per cent were concentrated in Johor Bahru and the Pasir Gudang area. Industrial estates and new suburbs were built in settlements on both the northern and eastern sides of the town, including Plentong and Tebrau. The town of Johor Bahru was officially recognised as a city on 1 January 1994. On 22 November 2017, Iskandar Puteri was declared a city and assigned as the administrative centre of the state, located in Kota Iskandar.
| Barisan Nasional | Onn Hafiz Ghazi | Government | 40 | 40 | |
| Pakatan Harapan | Liew Chin Tong | Confidence and supply | 12 | 12 | |
| Perikatan Nasional | Sahruddin Jamal | Opposition | 3 | 3 | |
Johor is a constitutional monarchy and was the first state in Malaysia to adopt the system via the Johor State Constitution (Malay language: Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor) written by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1895. The constitutional head of Johor is the sultan. This hereditary position can only be held by a member of the Johor royal family who is descended from Abu Bakar. The current Sultan of Johor is Ibrahim Iskandar, who became sultan on 23 January 2010. The main royal palace for the sultan is the Bukit Serene Palace, while the crown prince's is the Istana Pasir Pelangi; both palaces are located in the state capital. Other palaces are the Istana Besar (which is also located in the state capital), Tanjong Palace in Muar, Sri Lambak in Kluang and Shooting Box in Segamat.
The state government is headed by a Chief Minister, who is assisted by an 11-member executive council selected from the state assembly members. The legislative branch of Johor's government is the Johor State Legislative Assembly, which is based on the Westminster system. Therefore, the chief minister is appointed based on their ability to command the majority of the state assembly. The state assembly makes laws in matters regarding the state. Members of the Assembly are elected by citizens every five years by universal suffrage. There are 56 seats in the assembly. The majority (40 seats) are currently held by Barisan Nasional (BN).
Johor was a sovereign state from 1948 until 1957 while the Federation of Malaya Agreement was in force, but its defence and external affairs were mainly under the control of the United Kingdom. The Malayan Federation was then merged with two British colonies in Borneo – North Borneo and Sarawak – to form the Federation of Malaysia. Since then, several disputes have arisen such as the incident involving the state royal family that resulted in the 1993 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia, disputes with federal leaders on state and federation affairs, and dissatisfaction over slower development in contrast with the long-standing prosperity in neighbouring Singapore, which even led to statements about secession from Johor's royal family.
Other social issues include the rise of racial and religious intolerance among the state's citizens since being part of the federation.
The western part of Johor had a considerable amount of peatland. In 2005, the state recorded of forested land, which is classified into natural inland forest, peat swamp forest, mangrove forest and mud flat. About 83% of Johor's terrain is , while only 17% is higher and steep terrain. While being relatively flat, Johor is dotted with many isolated peaks known as , including isolated . Mount Ledang, also known as Mount Ophir, in the district of Tangkak District and near the tripoint with Malacca and Negeri Sembilan, is the state's highest point at 1,276 metres above sea level. Also in the state are Mount Besar, Mount Belumut and Mount Panti, which form the southern foothills of the Tenasserim Hills that extends from southern Myanmar and Thailand. Since the state also lies on the Sunda Plate, it experiences tremors from nearby earthquakes in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Much of central Johor is covered with dense forest, where an extensive network of rivers originating from mountains and in the area spreads to the west, east and south. On the west coast, the Batu Pahat River, Muar River and Pontian River flow to the Straits of Malacca, while the Johor River, Perepat River, Pulai River, Skudai River and Tebrau River flow to the Straits of Johor in the south. The Endau River, Mersing River, Sedili Besar River and Sedili Kecil River flow to the South China Sea in the east. The Johor River Basin covers an area of 2,690 kilometres, starting from Mount Belumut (east of Kluang) and Mount Gemuruh (to the north) downstream to Tanjung Belungkor. The river originates from the Layang-Layang, Linggiu, and Sayong rivers before converging into the main river and flowing southeast to the Straits of Johor for 122.7 kilometres. Its tributaries include the Berangan River, Lebak River, Lebam River, Panti River, Pengeli River, Permandi River, Seluyut River, Semangar River, Telor River, Tembioh River, and Tiram River. Other river basins in Johor including the Ayer Baloi River, Benut River, Botak Drainage, Jemaluang River, Pontian Besar River, Sanglang River, Santi River, and Sarang Buaya River.
Gunung Ledang National Park in western Johor, was established in 2005 with an area of . It has various rivers and streams, waterfalls, diverse rainforest, , and sub-montane forest, and the Tangkak Dam can also be seen from the park area. Several trails for hiking are available, such as the Asahan Trail, Ayer Panas Trail, Jementah Trail and Lagenda Trail. The state's only marine park, the Sultan Iskandar Park, is located off the east coast and is made up of 13 islands in six clusters, Aur Island, Besar, Pemanggil Island, Rawa Island, Sibu Island and Tinggi Island, with an area of more than . In 2003, three in southern Johor comprising Kukup Island, Pulai River and Tanjung Piai were designated as a Ramsar site. Tanjung Piai covers an area of of mangroves and another of inter-tidal , Pulai River with and Kukup Island with surrounded by some of mudflats. The Pulai River became a seahorse sanctuary and hatchery as part of the state biodiversity masterplan, since Johor's waters are home to three of the eight seahorse species found in Malaysia.
Poaching is a concern, with the number of wild animals in state parks decreasing with the rise of hunting and fishing in the 2000s. In 2004, local authorities uncovered large-scale sandalwood ( gaharu) poaching by foreigners in the Endau-Rompin National Park with a large number of protected plant species being confiscated from the suspects. The conversion of mangrove areas along the southern and eastern coasts for use in aquaculture projects, sand mining and rapid urbanisation in addition to the abnormal weather patterns caused by climate change and rising sea levels are contributing to the coastal erosion of the state's coastline.
It has also been discovered that some of peatland soils in western Johor have been planted with palm oil plantations. In 2017, around 28 rivers in the state were categorised as polluted, leading the authorities and government to push for legislative change and sterner action against river polluters, especially since severe pollution has disrupted the water supply to an estimated 1.8 million people in the state. The 2019 Kim Kim River toxic pollution affected 6,000 residents of the industrial area of Pasir Gudang with 2,775 being hospitalised. Wildfire have also become a concern with more than 380 recorded throughout the state in 2016.
Johor is the top investment destination in Malaysia. It has been ranked the top state in Malaysia for six consecutive years in approved manufacturing projects valued at RM145 billion from 2013 to 2018. The state attracted the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) among all Malaysian states in 2022, primarily in the manufacturing sector. In 2017, RM16.8 billion came from domestic direct investment and RM5.1 billion came from foreign direct investment, with Australia, China and the United States being the top three foreign investors in manufacturing. With the influx of foreign investments, Johor has also been ranked the second largest artificial intelligence hub globally.
Johor is the second largest trade contributor in Malaysia, and has the second largest share of the country's imports, after Selangor. The state is also Southeast Asia's largest Data center hub and the third largest in Asia-Pacific. As a prominent regional manufacturing hub, the state is home to major multinational corporations (MNCs) in Malaysia, like ByteDance, Nvidia, Microsoft, Micron, Saudi Aramco, Foxconn, among others. Its capital city, Johor Bahru, has been ranked the world's 20th most attractive city for businesses, second in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, according to Oliver Wyman, a New York-based management consulting firm. Iskandar Malaysia located in southern Johor, is the largest special economic zone in Malaysia by investment value and GDP per capita, encompassing the city centre of Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Kulai District, Pasir Gudang and South Pontian District. It is a major development zone in the nation with an area of . It primarily focuses on trade and services, manufacturing, business and finance, logistics, artificial intelligence, modern farming and ecotourism. With the establishment of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, the state is set to rival Klang Valley, the main economic region in Malaysia, in the next decade. The total industrial area in the state as of 2015 was or 0.75 per cent of the land in Johor. The state also houses Johor Corporation (JCorp), a state-owned conglomerate involved in various business activities in the state and overseas. Johor is also the largest agriculture output contributor in Malaysia. The main agricultural sectors in the state are palm oil plantations, rubber plantations, and produce. In 2015, land area used for agriculture in Johor covered , 60.15 per cent of the state, with other plantations including and . In 2016, palm oil plantations covered (38.8 per cent of the total land area), making it the third largest plantation area in Malaysia after Sabah and Sarawak. Farmers' markets () are used to distribute the agricultural produces which are located around the state. Johor is the biggest fruit producer in Malaysia, with a total fruit plantation area of and total harvesting area of . Approximately 532,249 tons of fruit was produced in 2016, with Segamat District having the largest major fruit plantation and harvesting area in the state with a total area of and , respectively, while Kluang District had the highest total fruit production at 163,714 tons. In the same year, Johor was the second biggest producer of vegetables among Malaysian states after Pahang, with a total vegetable plantation area of and a total harvesting area of . Kluang District also had the largest vegetable plantation and harvesting areas, with a total area of , and the highest total vegetable production at 60,102 tons. Johor benefits from Singaporean investors and tourists due to its close proximity to Singapore. From 1990 to 1992, approved Singaporean investments in Johor amounted to about US$500 million in 272 projects. In 1994, the investment from Singapore was nearly 40% of the state's total foreign investment. The state also had a policy of "twinning with Singapore" to promote their industrial development, which increased the movement of people and goods between the two. The close economic links between the two began with the establishment of the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle (SIJORI Growth Triangle) in 1989.
All water supply pipes in the state are managed by the Water Regulatory Bodies of Johor, with a total of 11 reservoirs: Congok, Gunung Ledang, Gunung Pulai 1, Gunung Pulai 2, Gunung Pulai 3, Juaseh, Layang Lower, Layang Upper, Lebam, Linggiu and Pontian Kechil. The state also supplies raw water to Singapore for RM0.03 for every drawn from Johor rivers. In return, the Johor state government pays the Singaporean government 50 cents (RM0.50) for every 3.8 cubic metres of treated water from Singapore.
In 2018, the state internet speed was 10 Mbps with the government urging the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to develop high-speed Internet infrastructure to reach 100 Mbit/s to match the state's current rapid development. The Malaysian federal government operates one radio channel – Johor FM through its Department of Broadcasting, officially known as Radio Televisyen Malaysia. There is one independent radio station, Best FM, which launched in 1988. Television broadcasting in the state is divided into terrestrial and satellite television. There are two types of free-to-air television providers, MYTV Broadcasting (digital terrestrial) and Astro NJOI (satellite), while IPTV is accessed via Unifi TV through the UniFi fibre optic internet subscription.
The previous federal government had allocated RM29.43 billion as part of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan for infrastructure projects including upgrading roads and bridges. The state government also spends over RM600 million on road maintenance annually.
With its full completion, travel time by rail between Kuala Lumpur Sentral station and Johor Bahru Sentral station was reduced to 3.5 hours. The upcoming Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) linking Johor Bahru to Woodlands, Singapore will be the first rapid transit system outside the Klang Valley.
Johor has three public universities, the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) in Skudai, Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia in Parit Raja, and Universiti Teknologi MARA Johor in Jementah and the state capital. As of 2024, UTM is the second highest ranked university in Malaysia, after University of Malaya, according to Webometrics Ranking of World Universities. EduHub Pagoh, the largest public higher education hub in Malaysia, is being constructed at Bandar Universiti Pagoh, a new planned education township in Muar. The state also houses a number of international university branches, including Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology, University of Southampton Malaysia, University of Reading Malaysia, Monash University Malaysia Clinical School, and others.
There are several polytechnics including Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic and Mersing Polytechnic; and two teaching colleges, IPG Kampus Temenggong Ibrahim in Johor Bahru and IPG Kampus Tun Hussien Onn in Batu Pahat. It has one non-profit community college, Southern University College in Skudai. There is also a proposal to establish the University of Johor that has been welcomed by the Sultan of Johor with the federal education ministry also willing to extend their co-operation.
To ensure the quality of education in the state, the state government introduced six long-term measures to upgrade the capability of local teachers. In 2018, it was reported that Johor was among several Malaysian states facing a teacher shortage, so the federal education ministry set up a special committee to study ways to tackle the problem.
The Johor State Library is the main public library in the state.
As Malaysia is one of the least densely populated countries in Asia, the state is particularly sparsely populated, with most people concentrated in the coastal urban areas, since towns and urban centres have massively expanded through recent developments. From 1991 to 2000, the state experienced a 2.39% average annual population growth, with Johor Bahru District being the highest at 4.59% growth and Segamat District being the lowest at 0.07%. The total population increased by about 600,000 every decade following the increase of residential developments in the southern developmental region; if the pattern continues, Johor will have an estimated 5.6 million people in 2030, larger than the government projection of 4 million.
Johor is among the most popular destinations for Expatriate in the region. Its strategic geographical position has contributed to the state's rapid development as Malaysia's transportation and industrial hub, creating jobs and attracting migrants from other states and overseas, especially from Singapore, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. As of 2018, nearly two thirds of foreign workers in Malaysia were located in Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, according to World Bank. Due to its rapid development and diversified economy, Johor attracted the highest number of inter-state migrants among all Malaysian states, with an influx of over 11.9 thousand people in 2020, despite dropping in 2022.
Johorean Malay, also known as Johor-Riau Malay and originally spoken in Johor, Riau, Riau Islands, Malacca, Selangor and Singapore, has been adopted as the basis for both the Malaysian Malay and Indonesian national languages.
Due to Johor's location at the confluence of trade routes within Maritime Southeast Asia as well as its history as an influential empire, the dialect has spread as the region's lingua franca since the 15th century; hence the adoption of the dialect as the basis for the national languages of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Several related languages are also spoken in Johor such as Orang Seletar (spoken along the Straits of Johor and in northern Singapore), Orang Kanaq (spoken in small parts of southeastern Johor), Jakun language (spoken mostly in inland parts of Johor), Temuan language (spoken near the border with Pahang and Negeri Sembilan) and Orang Kuala (spoken along the northwest coast of Johor). Terengganu Malay, a distinct variant of Malay, is spoken in the district of Mersing near the border with Rompin, Pahang.
Different dialect groups of the Chinese language are spoken among the Chinese community in the state, including Hokkien, Teochew Min, Hakka Chinese, Cantonese, Hainanese, Foochow, and Henghua.
The Indian community predominantly speaks Tamil. There is also a significant number of Malayalee populations in parts of Segamat, Johor Bahru and Masai, who speak Malayalam as their mother tongue. Moreover, small number of other Indian language speakers such as the Bengali language, Telugu language, and Punjabi language language speakers are also present. Many Malayalees and Telugus are often categorised as Tamils by the Tamils themselves, and by other groups, as they use the Tamil language as a lingua franca among other Indian communities as in other locations in Peninsular Malaysia.
In 2017, the Queen of Johor, as the royal patron of the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association, called for a more conducive environment for young Malaysians to master English since there has been a drastic decline in proficiency among the younger Malaysian generation.
A strong Arab culture influence is apparent in art performances like zapin, masri and hamdolok and in musical instruments like the gambus.
The zapin dance was introduced in the 14th century by Arab Muslim missionaries from Hadhramaut, Yemen, and was originally performed only by male dancers, although female dancers are now common. The dance itself differs among five Johor regions, namely zapin tenglu and zapin pulau (Mersing), zapin lenga (Muar), zapin pekajang (Johor Bahru), zapin koris (Batu Pahat) and zapin parit mustar with zapin seri bunian (Pontian). Another Arab legacy is the use of Arabic names with wadi (valley) for areas populated by the Arab community in the state capital such as " wadi hana" and " wadi hassan".Mohd. Sohaimi Esa (1999). 9789832188025, Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. . ISBN 9789832188025
Buginese and Javanese cultural influences are found in the bosara and kuda lumping dances introduced to Johor before the early 20th century by immigrants of respective communities. The influence of Javanese language on the local Malay dialect is also noticeable from particular vocabulary collected in recorded observations. Indian culture inspired the ghazal. These cultural activities are normally performed at Malay weddings and religious festivals. The aboriginal culture is also unique with a diversity of traditions still practised, such as the making of traditional weapons, medicines, and .
Located in Iskandar Puteri, the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium is the main stadium of the football club Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT). A dominant club in Malaysian club football since the 2010s, they have won the Malaysia Cup five times, the Malaysia FA Cup five times, the Malaysia Super League for eleven consecutive seasons between 2014 and 2025 and the AFC Cup in 2015. The state women's football team also won four titles in the Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup in 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1989. Another notable stadium in the state is Pasir Gudang Corporation Stadium in Pasir Gudang. Johor also launched its own esports league, becoming the second Malaysian state to introduce the sport to the Sukma Games, with the Johor Sports Council agreeing to include it in the 2020 edition.
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