Demographic profile of Indonesia
Indonesia ranks as the fourth most populated country behind China, India and the United States. In 2018, the population counts approximately 266 million inhabitants and the annual growth rate is around 1.1%. The very first census goes back to 1811 when the population was only 12 million. But it has been consistently growing since and in 2010 the number had reached 237 million, 261 million in 2016 and 263 million in 2017.
Life expectancy in Indonesia is 70 years old for men and 75 for women which means an average of 72. The Indonesian population remains young with an average age of 27 years old.
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.
See as well