indonesian people

Indonesia has a population of about 250 million. The 4th most populous country in the world. Muslim population is approximately 88% of total population, making Indonesia the largest Muslim society in the world. Indonesian population consists of many ethnicities: 45% Javanese, 14% Sudanese, 7.5% Madurese and 26% other ethnic groups. 



There are about 583 languages and dialects spoken in the Indonesia. They  belong to the different ethnic groups of the population. Some of the distinctly different local languages are: Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum of Timor, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Ceramese, and several Irianese languages. To make the picture even more complex and colorful, these languages are also spoken in different dialects. 


Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, which is akin to Malay, written in Roman script and based on European orthography. In all the tourist destinations English is the number one foreign language. In big cities Dutch is still spoken, while popularity of French is increasing at good hotels and restaurants.