Indonesia's 221 million people make it the world's fourth-most populous nation. The island of Java is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with more than 107 million people living in an area the size of New York State.

Indonesia includes numerous related but distinct cultural and linguistic groups, many of which are ethnically Malay. Since independence, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) (the national language, a form of Malay) has spread throughout the archipelago and has become the language of most written communication, education, government, and business. Many local languages are still important in many areas, however.

Population data

Population: 224,784,210 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.57% (male 34,932,102; female 33,783,603)
15-64 years: 64.96% (male 72,889,994; female 73,124,821)
65 years and over: 4.47% (male 4,413,268; female 5,640,422) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.63% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 22.6 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.31 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 42.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.96 years
male: 65.61 years
female: 70.42 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.61 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian

Ethnic groups

• Javanese 45%
• Sundanese 14%
• Madurese 7.5%
• coastal Malays 7.5%,
• other 26% (See below)
• Acehnese
• Balinese
• Badui
• Batak
• Lani (Dani)
• Dayak
• Indonesian Chinese
• Kubu
• Lampung
• Makassarese
• Minangkabau
• Nuaulu
• Osing
• Sasak
• Tenggerese
• Toraja

Religions

Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)

Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom apply to the five religions recognized by the state, namely Islam (87%), Protestantism (6%), Catholicism (3%), Buddhism (2%), and Hinduism (1%). In some remote areas, animism is still practiced.

Languages

Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

English is the most widely spoken foreign language.

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.8%
male: 89.6%
female: 78% (1995 est.)

Education is free and compulsory for children through grade 9. Although about 92% of eligible children are enrolled in primary school, a much smaller percentage attend full time. About 44% of secondary school-age children attend junior high school, and some others of this age group attend vocational schools.

See also

• Culture of Indonesia
• Poverty in Indonesia
• Transmigration program