Ethnic groups in Indonesia

There are more than 600 ethnic groups^[1] in the multicultural Indonesian archipelago, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. The vast majority of these belong to the Austronesian peoples, concentrated in western and central Indonesia (Asia), with a sizable minority are Melanesian peoples concentrated in eastern Indonesia (Oceania).^[2][3][4][5] However, genetic studies show that ethnic groups in Java and Bali have significant traces of Austroasiatic ancestry, even though Austroasiatic languages ​​are no longer spoken.^[6]

Map showing ethnic groups native to Indonesia. Ethnic groups of foreign origin such as Chinese, Arabs and Indians are not shown, but usually inhabit urban areas.

Based on ethnic classification, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up about 40% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java, the world's most populous island, particularly in the central and eastern parts. It is also the largest ethnic group in Southeast Asia. The Sundanese are the next largest group; their homeland is located in the western part of the island of Java and the southern edge of Sumatra.^[7] The Malays, Batak, Madurese, Betawi, Minangkabau, and Bugis are the next largest groups in the country.^[8]

Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to the Austronesian language family, although a significant number of people, particularly in eastern Indonesia, speak unrelated Papuan languages. Indonesians of Chinese, Arab and Indian descent each make up less than 3% of the total Indonesian population.^[8]

The classification of ethnic groups in Indonesia is not rigid and in some cases unclear due to migrations, cultural and linguistic influences; for example, some may consider the Bantenese to be members of the Sundanese people; however, others argue that they are different ethnic groups altogether since they have their own distinct dialects. This is also the case with the Baduy people, who share many cultural similarities with the Sundanese people. An example of hybrid ethnicity is the Betawi people, descended not only from marriages between different peoples native to Indonesia, but also intermarriages with Arab, Chinese and Indian migrants since the era of colonial Batavia (modern-day Jakarta).

Statistics (2010)

Main article: List of ethnic groups in Indonesia by population

The following lists of major ethnic groups in Indonesia are based on the 2010 Indonesian census.

Initial classification

This list was compiled from the raw data of the 2010 census by Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) based on a preliminary classification, which is not meant to be exhaustive and combined figures for smaller groups in various regions.^[9]

Ethnic group	Population	Percentage
Javanese	95,217,022	40.22
Sundanese	36,701,670	15.5
Batak	8,466,969	3.58
Ethnic groups from Sulawesi	7,634,262	3.22
Madurese	7,179,356	3.03
Betawi	6,807,968	2.88
Minangkabau	6,462,713	2.73
Bugis	6,359,700	2.69
Malay	5,365,399	2.27
Ethnic groups from South Sumatra	5,119,581	2.16
Bantenese	4,657,784	1.97
Ethnic groups from East Nusa Tenggara	4,184,923	1.77
Banjar	4,127,124	1.74
Ethnic groups from Aceh	4,091,451	1.73
Balinese	3,946,416	1.67
Sasak	3,173,127	1.34
Dayak	3,009,494	1.27
Chinese	2,832,510	1.2
Ethnic groups from Papua	2,693,630	1.14
Makassarese	2,672,590	1.13
236,728,379	100

New classification

This list was compiled from the same raw data of the 2010 census, according to the "new classification" developed by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in collaboration with Statistics Indonesia. The new classification categorized 1,331 coded ethnicities from the census into more than 600 groups instead of just 31 in the initial classification,^[1] completely dissolved the placeholder "ethnic groups from X" categories to better capture the diversity of Indonesia's ethnic demography,^[10] corrected misplaced groups and subgroups,^[11] and attempted to aggregate and separate sub-ethnic groups into ethnic groups by relying on anthropological sources.^[12]

List of ethnic groups with more than one million members based on the new classification are shown in the table below:^[13]

Ethnic group	Population (millions)	Percentage	Main regions
Javanese	95.217	40.06%	Bengkulu, East Java, East Kalimantan, Central Java, Jambi, Lampung, North Sumatra, Riau, South Sumatra, Yogyakarta
Sundanese	36.705	15.51%	Banten, Jakarta, West Java
Malay	8.754	3.70%	Bangka-Belitung Islands, Bengkulu, Jambi, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan
Batak	8.467	3.58%	North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jakarta
Madurese	7.179	3.03%	East Java
Betawi	6.808	2.88%	Banten, Jakarta, West Java
Minangkabau	6.463	2.73%	Riau, West Sumatra
Buginese	6.415	2.71%	Central Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi
Bantenese	4.642	1.96%	Banten
Banjar	4.127	1.74%	South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan
Balinese	3.925	1.66%	Bali
Acehnese	3.404	1.44%	Aceh
Dayak	3.220	1.36%	Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, West Kalimantan
Sasak	3.175	1.34%	West Nusa Tenggara
Chinese Indonesian	2.833	1.20%	Bangka-Belitung Islands, North Sumatra, Jakarta, Riau, Riau Islands, West Kalimantan, North Coast of Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta
Makassarese	2.673	1.13%	South Sulawesi
Cirebonese	1.878	0.79%	West Java
Lampung	1.376	0.58%	Lampung
Palembang	1.252	0.53%	South Sumatra
Gorontalo	1.252	0.53%	Gorontalo
Minahasan	1.240	0.52%	North Sulawesi
Nias	1.042	0.44%	North Sumatra

Distribution of indigenous ethnic groups in Indonesia.

Indigenous ethnic groups

Main article: Pribumi

Ethnic groups in Indonesia. From left to right: Acehnese, Batak, Minangkabau, Palembangese, Sundanese, Javanese, Buginese, Lampungese, and Kayu Pulau [id]

Most ethnic groups are indigenous to certain regions of Indonesia. Due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise), significant proportions of those ethnic groups reside outside of their traditional regions.

• Java: Javanese (Tenggerese, Osing, Banyumasan, etc.), Sundanese (Badui), Bantenese, Cirebonese, Betawi, Madurese (Bawean)
• Madura: Madurese (Kangean)
• Sumatra: Acehnese, Gayonese, Alas, Batak, Malay, Minangkabau, Rejang, Palembang, Lampung, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Kubu, Musi, Ogan, Komering, Rawas, Bangka, Belitung and others
• Kalimantan: Dayak, Banjarese, Malays, Kutai, Pasir, and others
• Sulawesi: Makassarese, Buginese, Mandarese, Minahasan, Torajan, Gorontaloan, Bajau, Buton, Tolaki, Kaili, Pamona, Banggai, Saluan, Buol, Tomini, Mongondow, Sangihe and others
• Lesser Sunda Islands: Balinese, Sasak, Sumbawa, Bimanese, Manggarai, Ngada, Li'o, Lamaholot, Dawan, Tetun, Helong, Roti, Savu, Sumba, Alor, Bali Aga and others
• Moluccas: Ambonese, Buru, Seram, Kei, Tanimbar, Saparua, Aru, Kisar, Babar, Tobelo, Galela, Ternate, Tidore, Makian, Sula and others
• Papua: Asmat, Amungme, Bauzi, Dani, Sawi, Yaur, Biak, Sentani, Mimika, Yali, Arfak, Auwye, Dauwa, Ketengban, Moni, Yapen, Ngalum, Waropen, Ayfat, Baham, Mooi and others (see List of ethnic groups of West Papua, Southwest Papua)

Non-indigenous ethnicities

Throughout Indonesian history, various ethnic groups of foreign origin spread throughout Indonesia in several migration waves, and usually established themselves in urban centres, seldom settling rural parts of the country.

• Arabs: Arabic settled the Indonesian archipelago, Arabs have lived in Indonesia for a long time and helped spread Islam in Indonesia; They are mostly concentrated around Pasar Kliwon in Surakarta, also at Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Probolinggo, and Pekalongan.
• Chinese: The most significant ethnic minority of foreign origin in Indonesia, officially amounting to around 2.8 million, with other sources estimating them at anywhere between 2 and 4 million. Chinese people began migrating to Indonesia in the 16th century, with significant waves in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are mostly concentrated in locations called pecinan (chinatowns) in urban Java with significant numbers in Jakarta, Semarang, Surakarta, Surabaya, Tangerang, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka-Belitung Islands, and West Kalimantan. Currently, they have lived together peacefully with the local ethnicities such as the Betawi, Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese; and also, few cities in Indonesia have significant Chinese populations that preserve their heritage links to China. They are spread throughout Indonesian archipelagoes, and significant numbers can be found in Palembang, Jakarta, Surabaya and other coastal cities.
• Indians: Indians (mostly Tamils) also have settled the Indonesian archipelago; They are mostly concentrated in urban centres, with significant numbers around Pasar Baru in Jakarta, and the most well known at Kampung Madras in Medan. Almost 95% of all Indian Indonesians are living in the province of North Sumatra.
• Indos: Indos or Eurasians are people of mixed native Indonesian and Dutch/European ancestry. They emerged in the Dutch East Indies colonial era. Today, less than one million Indonesians with varying degrees of mixed ancestry can trace their ancestors to Europeans. Nowadays, Indos live mostly in Jakarta, many of them having dual citizenship, Dutch and Indonesian. As of 2011, an estimated 124,000 Indos live outside the Netherlands (including Indonesia).^[14]
• Japanese: Japanese people who initially migrated to Indonesia after the defeat of the Japanese empire in World War II. In the years following, the percentage of Japanese people decreased as they had migrated back to Japan, with only small numbers of ex-Japanese soldiers remaining in Indonesia and becoming Indonesian citizens. The recent increase of Japanese residents in Indonesia has been driven by the increase of Japanese business and investment in the country since the 1990s, with majority of those residents being expatriates who retain their Japanese citizenship. They live mostly in Jakarta and Bali.
• Mardijkers: Their name means "freeman" and derives from the Dutch pronunciation of the Malay word "merdeka", which means "free". The ancestors of the Mardijkers were enslaved by the Portuguese in India, Africa and the Malay Peninsula. They were brought to Indonesia by the Dutch East India Company and were freed right after being settled here. Over long periods of time, they have gradually returned to their respective home countries. However, they still exists in small numbers in the capital city today and retains its own distinct culture characteristic of the Mardijker people.

Migrants

According to the United Nations, there were 355,505 international migrants in Indonesia in 2020. Their most common countries of origin were as follows:

International migrants in Indonesia in 2020
China	76,028
South Korea	33,580
United Kingdom	32,911
Singapore	23,681
Germany	19,879
United States	12,697
India	12,590
Australia	11,400
Pakistan	8,645
Netherlands	7,306
Philippines	4,230
Source: "International Migrant Stock 2020: Destination and origin". United Nations. 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2023.

See also

• Demographics of Indonesia
• Proto-Malay
• List of ethnic groups of West Papua

References

Notes

Citations

1. Ananta et al. 2015, pp. 12, 27–28.
2. Taylor 2003, pp. 5–7.
3. Witton 2003, pp. 139, 181, 251, 435.
4. Dawson, B.; Gillow, J. (1994). The Traditional Architecture of Indonesia. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-500-34132-2.
5. Truman Simanjuntak; Herawati Sudoyo; Multamia R.M.T. Lauder; Allan Lauder; Ninuk Kleden Probonegoro; Rovicky Dwi Putrohari; Desy Pola Usmany; Yudha P.N. Yapsenang; Edward L. Poelinggomang; Gregorius Neonbasu (2015). Diaspora Melanesia di Nusantara (in Indonesian). Direktorat Sejarah, Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. ISBN 978-602-1289-19-8. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
6. Mark Lipson; Po-Ru Loh; Nick Patterson; Priya Moorjani; Ying-Chin Ko; Mark Stoneking; Bonnie (2014). "Reconstructing Austronesian population history in Island Southeast Asia". Nature. 5: 4689. Bibcode:2014NatCo...5.4689L. doi:10.1038/ncomms5689. PMC 4143916. PMID 25137359.
7. Ananta et al. 2015, p. 77.
8. Suryadinata, Leo; Arifin, Evi Nurvidya; Ananta, Aris (2003). Indonesia's Population: Ethnicity and Religion in a Changing Political Landscape. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 9789812302120.
9. Na'im, Akhsan; Syaputra, Hendry (2011). "Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia" (PDF) (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
10. Ananta et al. 2015, pp. 30–31.
11. Ananta et al. 2015, pp. 31–33.
12. Ananta et al. 2015, pp. 35–37.
13. Ananta et al. 2015, pp. 119–122.
14. Beets, Gijs; van Imhoff, Evert (2004). "A Demographic History of The Indo-Dutch Population, 1930–2001" (PDF). Journal of Population Research. 21 (1): 47–72. doi:10.1007/BF03032210. S2CID 53645470. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2019.

Bibliography

• Ananta, Aris; Arifin, Evi Nurvidya; Hasbullah, M Sairi; Handayani, Nur Budi; Pramono, Agus (2015). Demography of Indonesia's Ethnicity. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-4519-87-8.
• Taylor, Jean Gelman (2003). Indonesia. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09709-2.
• Witton, Patrick (2003). Indonesia. Melbourne: Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74059-154-6.