Ethnic groups in Indonesia

Best-fit genomic mixture proportions of Austronesians in Island Southeast Asia and their inferred population movements

Some ethnic groups are indigenous to certain regions of Indonesia. Due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise), significant proportions of those ethnic groups reside outside of their traditional regions.

• Java: Javanese (Tenggerese, Osing, Banyumasan, etc.), Sundanese (Bantenese, Badui), Betawi
• Madura: Madurese
• Sumatra: Malay, Batak, Nias, Minangkabau, Acehnese, Lampungese, Kubu, and others
• Kalimantan: Dayak, Banjar, Malays
• Sulawesi: Makassarese, Buginese, Mandarese, Minahasan, Torajan, Gorontaloan, Bajau, and others
• Lesser Sunda Islands: Balinese, Sasak, Sumbawan, Dawan, Tetunian, Helong, Roti, Savu, Sumban, Alorese, Floresian, and others
• Moluccas: Alfur, Nuaulu, Manusela, Wemale, Tanimbarese, and others
• Papua: Dani, Bauzi, Asmat, Amungme, and others (see List of ethnic groups of West Papua)

Throughout Indonesian 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.

• Chinese: The most significant ethnic minority of foreign origin in Indonesia, officially amounting to around 2,8 million, with other sources estimating them at anywhere between 8 to 12 million. Chinese people began migrating to Indonesia in the 15th century, with significant waves in the 18th and 19th centuries. They are mostly concentrated in pecinan (chinatowns) in urban Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, with significant numbers in Jakarta, Surabaya, Tangerang, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka-Belitung Islands, and West Kalimantan.
• Arabs: Historically, Arab traders were responsible for the spread of Islam in the Indonesian archipelago. Many have assimilated into local ethnicities such as the Betawi, Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese; however, several cities in Indonesia have significant Arab populations that preserve their culture, identity, and their links to Arab countries. They are spread throughout Indonesian cities, and significant numbers can be found in Palembang, Banda Aceh, Padang, Jakarta, Surabaya, Gresik and many coastal cities.
• Indians: Indians also settled the Indonesian archipelago; however, they are not as numerous as Chinese Indonesians. They are mostly concentrated in urban centres, with significant numbers around Pasar Baru in Jakarta, and the most well-known at Kampung Madras in Medan. Almost 80% of all Indian Indonesians are living in the province of North Sumatra.
• Indos: Indos or Eurasians are people of mixed native Indonesian and Dutch/European ancestry. They emerged in the Dutch East Indies colonial era. Today, around one million Indonesians with varying degrees of mixed ancestry can trace their ancestors to Europeans. During the colonial period, they were greater in numbers, but following Indonesian independence, most of them decided to leave to the Netherlands. Nowadays, Indos live mostly in Jakarta, many of them having dual citizenship. As of 2011, an estimated 124,000 Indos live outside the Netherlands (including Indonesia).[6]
• 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 enslaved by the Portuguese in India, Africa and the Malay Peninsula. They were brought to Indonesia by the Dutch East India Company and freed after being settled there. Over long periods of time, they gradually assimilated into the larger Indonesian community, though a neighborhood, Kampung Tugu, still exists in the capital city today and retains its own distinct culture characteristic of the Mardijker people.
• Japanese: Japanese people migrated to Indonesia in the Dutch East Indies colonial era; however, following the defeat of Japan in World War II, their percentage decreased, with only small numbers of ex-Japanese soldiers remaining in Indonesia and becoming Indonesian citizens. The recent increase of Japanese residents in Indonesia has been driven by the increase of Japanese business and investments in the country since the 1970s, with most of those residents being expatriates who retain their Japanese citizenship. They live mostly in Jakarta and Bali.

• Demographics of Indonesia
• Proto-Malay
• List of ethnic groups of West Papua