indonesia p.10

According to the 2010 national census, the population of Indonesia is 237.6 million,^[133] with high population growth at 1.9%.^[134] 58% of the population lives on Java,^[133] the world's most populous island.^[90] In 1961 the first post-colonial census gave a total population of 97 million.^[135] Despite a fairly effective family planning program that has been in place since the 1960s, population is expected to grow to around 265 million by 2020 and 306 million by 2050.^[136]
There are around 300 distinct native ethnic groups in Indonesia, and 742 different languages and dialects.^[137][138] Most Indonesians are descended from Austronesian-speaking peoples whose languages can be traced to Proto-Austronesian (PAn), which possibly originated in Taiwan. Another major grouping are Melanesians, who inhabit eastern Indonesia.^[87][139] The largest ethnic group is the Javanese, who comprise 42% of the population, and are politically and culturally dominant.^[140] The Sundanese, ethnic Malays, and Madurese are the largest non-Javanese groups.^[141] A sense of Indonesian nationhood exists alongside strong regional identities.^[142] Society is largely harmonious, although social, religious and ethnic tensions have triggered horrendous violence.^{[143][144][145]} Chinese Indonesians are an influential ethnic minority comprising 3–4% of the population.^[146] Much of the country's privately owned commerce and wealth is Chinese-Indonesian-controlled,^[147][148] which has contributed to considerable resentment, and even anti-Chinese violence.^{[149][150][151]}

The Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

The official national language is Indonesian, a form of Malay. It is based on the prestige dialect of Malay, that of the Johor-Riau Sultanate, which for centuries had been the lingua franca of the archipelago, standards of which are the official languages in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesian is universally taught in schools, consequently it is spoken by nearly every Indonesian. It is the language of business, politics, national media, education, and academia. It was promoted by Indonesian nationalists in the 1920s, and declared the official language under the name Bahasa Indonesia on the proclamation of independence in 1945. Most Indonesians speak at least one of the several hundred local languages and dialects, often as their first language. Of these, Javanese is the most widely spoken as the language of the largest ethnic group.^[118] On the other hand, Papua has over 270 indigenous Papuan and Austronesian languages,^[152] in a region of about 2.7 million people.
While religious freedom is stipulated in the Indonesian constitution,^[153] the government officially recognizes only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.^[154] Although it is not an Islamic state, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, with 87.2% of Indonesians being Muslim according to the 2010 census.^[155] On 21 May 2011 the Indonesian Sunni-Shia Council (MUHSIN) was established. The council aims to hold gatherings, dialogues and social activities. It was an answer to violence committed in the name of religion.^[156] The majority of Muslims in Indonesia are Sunni. 9% of the population was Christian, 3% Hindu, and 2% Buddhist or other. Most Indonesian Hindus are Balinese,^[157] and most Buddhists in modern-day Indonesia are ethnic Chinese.^[158] Though now minority religions, Hinduism and Buddhism remain defining influences in Indonesian culture. Islam was first adopted by Indonesians in northern Sumatra in the 13th century, through the influence of traders, and became the country's dominant religion by the 16th century.^[159] Roman Catholicism was brought to Indonesia by early Portuguese colonialists and missionaries,^[160][161] and the Protestant denominations are largely a result of Dutch Calvinist and Lutheran missionary efforts during the country's colonial period.^{[162][163][164]} A large proportion of Indonesians—such as the Javanese abangan, Balinese Hindus, and Dayak Christians—practice a less orthodox, syncretic form of their religion, which draws on local customs and beliefs.^[165]