Ethnic Groups In Indonesia
There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. 95% of those are of Native Indonesians ancestry.
The largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up 41% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java but millions have migrated to other islands throughout the archipelago. The Sundanese, Malay, and Madurese are the next largest groups in the country. Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to Austronesian language family, although a significant number, particularly in Papua, speak Papuan languages. The Chinese Indonesian population makes up a little less than 1% of the total Indonesian population according to the 2000 census. Some of these Indonesians of Chinese descent speak various Chinese dialects, most notably Hokkien and Hakka.
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 Bantenese and Cirebonese to be members of Javanese people, however some others argue that they are different ethnic groups altogether since they have their own distinct dialects. This is the same case with Baduy people that 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 in Indonesia but also with Arab and Chinese migrants since the era of colonial Batavia (Jakarta).
The proportions of Indonesian ethnic groups according to the (2000 census) are as follows:
| Ethnic groups | Population (million) | Percentage | Main Regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javanese | 86.012 | 41.7 | Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Lampung |
| Sundanese | 31.765 | 15.4 | West Java, Banten, Jakarta, Lampung |
| Malay | 8.789 | 4.1 | Sumatra eastern coast (North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, South Sumatra) and West Kalimantan |
| Chinese | 7.776 | 3.7 | Jakarta, West Kalimantan, East Java |
| Madurese | 6.807 | 3.3 | Madura island, East Java |
| Batak | 6.188 | 3.0 | North Sumatra |
| Bugis | 6.000 | 2.9 | South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan |
| Minangkabau | 5.569 | 2.7 | West Sumatra, Riau |
| Betawi | 5.157 | 2.5 | Jakarta, Banten, West Java |
| Arab | 5.000 | 2.4 | Jakarta, West Java, Central Java |
| Banjarese | 4.800 | 2.3 | South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan |
| Bantenese | 4.331 | 2.1 | Banten, West Java |
| Acehnese | 4.000 | 1.9 | Aceh |
| Balinese | 3.094 | 1.5 | Bali, West Nusa Tenggara |
| Sasak | 3.000 | 1.4 | West Nusa Tenggara |
| Makassarese | 2.063 | 1.0 | South Sulawesi |
| Cirebonese | 1.856 | 0.9 | West Java, Central Java |
Read more about Ethnic Groups In Indonesia: Indigenous Ethnicities, Foreign Ethnicities
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