Map showing ethnic groups native to Indonesia and Chinese Indonesians. Ethnic groups of foreign origin such as Arabs and Indians are not shown, but usually inhabit urban and coastal areas.
Based on ethnic classification, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is theJavanese who make up about 40% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island ofJava, the world'smost populous island, particularly in the central and eastern parts, but significant Javanese communities also exist inSumatra,Borneo, andSulawesi due to historical migration and government-sponsoredtransmigration programs. It is also the largest ethnic group inSoutheast Asia. TheSundanese are the next largest group; their homeland is located in the western part of the island of Java and the southern edge ofSumatra.[9] TheMalays,Batak,Madurese,Betawi,Minangkabau, andBugis are the next largest groups in the country.[10]
Many ethnic groups, particularly inKalimantan andPapua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to theAustronesian language family, although a significant number of people, particularly in eastern Indonesia, speak unrelatedPapuan languages. Indonesians ofChinese,Arab andIndian descent each make up less than 3% of the total Indonesian population.[10]
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 theBantenese to be members of theSundanese people; however, others argue that they are different ethnic groups altogether since they have their own distinct dialects. This is also the case with theBaduy people, who share many cultural similarities with theSundanese people. An example of hybrid ethnicity is theBetawi people, descended not only from marriages between different peoples regarded as native to Indonesia, but also intermarriages with Arab, Chinese and Indian migrants since the era of colonialBatavia (modern-dayJakarta).
This list was compiled from the raw data of the 2010 census byStatistics 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.[11]
This list was compiled from the same raw data of the 2010 census, according to the "new classification" developed byInstitute 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,[2] completely dissolved the placeholder "ethnic groups from X" categories to better capture the diversity of Indonesia's ethnic demography,[12] corrected misplaced groups and subgroups,[13] and attempted to aggregate and separate sub-ethnic groups into ethnic groups by relying on anthropological sources.[14]
List of ethnic groups with more than one million members based on the new classification[1]
The regions of Indonesia have some of theirindigenous ethnic groups. Due to migration within Indonesia (as part of governmenttransmigration programs or otherwise), there are significant populations of ethnic groups who reside outside of their traditional regions.
ThroughoutIndonesian 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.
Africans: Afro-Indonesians are Indonesians who have full or halfsub-Saharan African ancestry. The history of their arrival varies, from the Dutch colonial era they were known asBlack Dutch mercenaries from theGold Coast. Some of these African Mercenaries opted to settle in the colony instead of returning, creating a unique population of Indonesians of African descent, the town ofPurworejo, was once a home to a large population of its descendants. Most of their remaining descendants who opted to become Indonesian citizens instead currently can be found in Java, but are no longer visible, and have been largely assimilated. Modern African descendants in the country includes mostly descendants of expatriates from various African countries who had either married local Indonesians or had obtained Indonesian citizenship, they can be found in major cities across Indonesia.
Arabs: The Arabs have settled and lived in Indonesia for a long time and have played a major role on the spread ofIslam in Indonesia, The Arabs have also contributed to founding several major Sultanates in the region; a large number of them however, have fully assimilated within the greater Indonesian society. With one source estimating anywhere between 4 and 5 million of ethnic Arabs and those who are of mixed Arab ethnicity living in the country;[15] They are mostly concentrated aroundPasar Kliwon inSurakarta, also atJakarta,Ampel inSurabaya,Malang,Tegal,Probolinggo,Pekalongan, and various other coastal cities and towns in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Chinese: The most significant ethnic minority of foreign origin in Indonesia, officially amounting to around 2.8 million.[11] Chinese people began migrating to Indonesia in the 12th century, with significant waves in the 16th and 18th centuries. They are mostly concentrated withinchinatowns, also known as "Pecinan" in Indonesian, Pecinans can be found on almost every urban centers in Indonesia, the most notable however are located inBogor,Jakarta,Malang,Semarang,Surakarta,Surabaya,Tangerang,Yogyakarta,North Sumatra,Riau,Riau Islands,Bangka-Belitung Islands, andWest Kalimantan. The relationship between the ethnic Chinese and the Natives have been largely peaceful. Albeit more complex in comparison to the Arabs and the Indians. Few cities in Indonesia have also preserved their heritage links to China, the most notable beingSingkawang. They are spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago and found on almost every urban centers in Indonesia.
Indians: Indians (mostlyTamils and to a lesser extent,Sindhis andPunjabis) have also settled the Indonesian archipelago for a long time, they played a huge role on the spread ofHinduism andBuddhism within the region, and has been a major influence on the Indonesian culture as a whole, just like the Arabs however, a significant portion of the community have fully assimilated within the greater Indonesian society; They are mostly concentrated in urban centres, with significant numbers aroundPasar Baru in Jakarta, and the most well known atKampung Madras in Medan. Almost 95% of all Indian Indonesians are living within the province of North Sumatra.
Indos: Indos or Eurasians are people of mixed native Indonesian and Dutch/European ancestry. They emerged in theDutch East Indies colonial era. Today, less than one million Indonesians with varying degrees of mixed ancestry can trace their ancestors to Europeans (mostly Dutch and Portuguese). Nowadays, Indos are mostly found within theGreater Jakarta metropolitan area, particularly within thePuncak area, and other urban centers of the country such asBandung,Medan,Surabaya andSemarang. Many of them also held dual citizenship. As of 2011, an estimated 124,000 Indos live outside the Netherlands (including Indonesia).[16]
Japanese: Japanese migration to Indonesia has been recorded since the colonial days of the country, the first Japanese who arrived in the country were largely Japanese Eurasian children who were banished to the colony following the enactment of theSakoku edict. Their numbers would steadily grew in the following centuries. Other Japanese ethnic groups, such as theOkinawans would also migrate and settle in parts of theNorth Sulawesi province, beginning in the late 1920s. However, in the years following the end ofWorld War II, the percentage of Japanese people had decreased as they had migrated back to Japan, with only a small numbers of Japanese (mostly ex-soldiers) opting to remain 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 andBali.
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 captured as slaves from Portuguese controlled territories in India, Malacca, and Africa by theDutch East India Company with varying ethnic origins, Including Europeans and various Portuguese speaking Natives, and were freed right after being settled here. Over long periods of time, they have gradually returned to their respective home countries. However, significant populace still exist in the capital region as of this day and retains its own distinct culture characteristic of the Mardijker people, which is heavily influenced by Portuguese culture.
Peranakans: The Peranakans are a people of mixed native-Indonesian and Chinese ancestry. Particularly, descendants of the first wave of Southern Chinese settlers who had arrived in the Indonesian Archipelago during the 14th-17th century. A lot of these Chinese settlers were single men who intermarried with the local population, creating an ethnic group who are now known as Peranakans, nowadays the Peranakans can be found across the Indonesian archipelago, particularly in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan.
According to the United Nations, there were 355,505 international migrants in Indonesia in 2020. Their most common countries of origin were as follows:
^Dawson, B.; Gillow, J. (1994).The Traditional Architecture of Indonesia. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. p. 7.ISBN978-0-500-34132-2.
^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".gln.kemdikbud.go.id (in Indonesian). Direktorat Sejarah, Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.ISBN978-602-1289-19-8. Archived fromthe original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved24 August 2022.
China
South Korea
United Kingdom
Singapore
Germany
United States
India
Australia
Pakistan
Netherlands
Philippines
