
Demographic profile of Indonesia
The various ethnic groups living in Indonesia
Suku bangsa or suku means ethnic group in Indonesian language. Starting in 2000, the Republic of Indonesia has taken official censuses to record ethnic communities and their distribution. Indonesia is composed of various ethnicities. In fact, approximately 300 different groups coexist in the nation but more than half the population consists of Javanese (41%) and Sundanese (15%). Other ethnic groups are :- Batak : 4%,
- Maduranese : 3%
- Betawi : 3%
- Minangkabau : 2,73%
- Bugis : 2,69%
- Malay : 2,27%
- Banten : 1,97%
- Banjar : 1,74%
- Aceh : 1,73%
- Balinese : 1,67%
- Sasak : 1,34%
- Dayak : 1,27%
- Chinese : 1,2%
- Makassar : 1,13%
Religions are prominent in Indonesia. The constitution grants religious freedom although only six are recognised by the government. The majority is Muslim 87% followed by Protestant 6%, Catholic 3%, Hindu 2% mainly Balinese, Buddhist 0.7% and a very small percentage of others faiths including Confucianism.