Dusun people
From clockwise: Sandayo Dusun of Paitan sub-district, Beluran as well as Kota Marudu district, Tindal Dusun of Kota Belud District, Liwan Dusun of Ranau as well as Tambunan districts, Tobilung Dusun of Kota Belud as well as Kota Marudu districts, Kimaragang Dusun of Kota Marudu District, Tinagas Dusun of Beluran, Ranau, Telupid as well as Kota Marudu districts, Lotud Dusun of Tuaran District, and Tatana Dusun of Kuala Penyu and Beaufort districts, all in their respective traditional costumes | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 38.7% of 51.9% Sabah Bumiputeras (2025) ≈555,647 (2010) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Malaysia (Sabah, Labuan) | |
| Languages | |
| Dusun, various other Dusunic, Malaysian (Sabah Malay dialect) and Sabahan English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Catholic, Protestants) (90%), Islam (Sunni) and Animism (Traditional religion (Momolianism)) (10%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Dusun people or simply the Dusuns is the collective name of an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to Sabah, Malaysia. They primarily live on the West Coast, in the Interior, and in the Sandakan and Tawau divisions, primarily in the districts of Ranau, Tambunan, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Telupid, Keningau, and Beluran (Labuk-Sugut), as well as in the Federal Territory of Labuan.
The Dusuns form the largest collective ethnic group in the region with rich traditional heritage, distinct dress, language and customs based on different sub-groups, with an estimated 555,647 (mixed with the Kadazans) spread across the state, where they further jointly form the larger Kadazan-Dusuns. They have been internationally recognised as an indigenous group in the northern part of the island of Borneo since 2004 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Other similarly named, but unrelated groups are also found in neighbouring Brunei and Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Dusun in Brunei have distinct traditional beliefs and customs compared to those in Sabah. Bruneian Dusuns share a common origin, language and identity with the Bisaya people of Brunei, northern Sarawak and southwestern Sabah. Despite these differences, both groups are part of the broader Dusunic language family. In Indonesia, the Barito Dusun groups, located throughout the Barito River system, are part of the Ot Danum Dayak people, rather than being related to the Dusuns of northern Borneo.