Languages spoken in Indonesia
Asia · Capital: Jakarta · Population 281.6 million
The official language of Indonesia is Indonesian. An estimated 64% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 180.2 million people. After Indonesian, the most widely spoken are Javanese at 34% and Sundanese at 12%. Indonesian belongs to the Austronesian language family. Indonesian is not recorded in any of Indonesia's three neighbours. In total, 16 languages are recorded in Indonesia, and their shares add up to 136.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.4 of them.
What languages are spoken in Indonesia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| IndonesianAustronesian | 64% | Official | 180.2 million |
| JavaneseAustronesian | 34% | Spoken | 95.7 million |
| SundaneseAustronesian | 12% | Spoken | 33.8 million |
| Madurese | 6.3% | Spoken | 17.7 million |
| MalayAustronesian | 4.6% | Spoken | 13 million |
| Minangkabau | 3% | Spoken | 8.4 million |
| Betawi | 2.1% | Spoken | 5.9 million |
| Balinese | 1.8% | Spoken | 5.1 million |
| Buginese | 1.6% | Spoken | 4.5 million |
| Banjar | 1.5% | Spoken | 4.2 million |
| Acehnese | 1.4% | Spoken | 3.9 million |
| Sasak | 1% | Spoken | 2.7 million |
| Batak Toba | 0.9% | Spoken | 2.6 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 0.9% | Spoken | 2.6 million |
| Makasar | 0.7% | Spoken | 2.1 million |
| Lampung ApiAustronesian | 0.7% | Spoken | 1.9 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Indonesia?
The official language of Indonesia is Indonesian. Indonesian is spoken by an estimated 64% of the population, or roughly 180.2 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Indonesian in Indonesia?
An estimated 64% of Indonesia's 281.6 million people speak Indonesian, which works out at roughly 180.2 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Indonesia
- Capital
- Jakarta
- Population
- 281.6 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 1,904,569 km²
- Currency
- IDR
- Languages recorded
- 16
- Land borders
- 3
- ISO codes
- ID / IDN / 360
Which countries border Indonesia?
Indonesia shares a land border with three countries: Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. None of them records Indonesian, the most widely spoken language in Indonesia, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.