Religious Diversity of Indonesia Captured in Interior Ministry Population Data

The Net Population Data (DKB) for the second half of 2025, released by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Interior Ministry (Kemendagri), shows that the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, numbering 251,257,898 people (87.15 per cent).

Christians comprise 21,240,765 people (7.37 per cent), Catholics 8,861,999 people (3.07 per cent), Hindus 4,781,776 people (1.66 per cent), Buddhists 1,994,756 people (0.69 per cent), whilst belief systems account for 99,556 people and Confucians for 78,339 people. Teguh Setyabudi, Director General of Dukcapil, stated that Indonesia indeed has hundreds of ethnic groups spanning from Aceh to Papua, each with unique cultures, languages and traditions.

“However, the Single National Population Data System functions to unite information from all citizens, ensuring that Indonesia’s diverse faces are not scattered, but rather integrated into a single database,” Teguh said when releasing the Net Population Data for the second half of 2025, themed “Portrait of Indonesia’s Diversity in a Single National Population Database”, at Birawa Assembly Hall, Hotel Bidakara, Jakarta, on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

Teguh stated that whilst the majority of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, the composition of the productive-age population (15–64 years old) is substantial, reaching 199,026,595 people or 69.03 per cent of the total population. The largest age group falls in the 40–44-year range with 14,866,704 people. “This represents a demographic dividend opportunity that must be leveraged to increase productivity and public welfare,” he said.

Teguh explained that accurate population data serves as the foundation for inclusive public policy, ensuring that all sections of society are represented. “This portrait of Indonesia’s national diversity is not merely a statistic, but also official recognition of the existence and contribution of every community to national development,” he said.

The dominance of the productive-age population opens significant opportunities for Indonesia to strengthen economic competitiveness. “However, this opportunity will only become reality if we are able to integrate population data with cross-sectoral development policies,” Teguh said.

Regarding marital status, 137,007,707 people are recorded as married. Those who have never married number 131,713,077 people, divorced (living) 5,591,324 people, and widowed 14,002,981 people.

These figures demonstrate that the family represents the primary social unit dominating Indonesia. “The high marriage rate reflects cultural and religious norms that place the family at the centre of community life, whilst philosophically the family is a demographic pillar that maintains population continuity and social stability,” Teguh said.