Buddhism in Indonesia

Buddhism in Indonesia

Monks praying at Borobudur, the largest Buddhist structure in the world, built by the Sailendra dynasty.
Total population
2.02 million (2022)[1] 0.73% of population
Regions with significant populations
Jakarta, North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Banten, Riau, Riau Islands, West Java, East Java, South Sumatra, Central Java.[2]
Religions
Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism
Languages
Indonesian and Mandarin Chinese Japanese (minority)

Buddhism has a long history in Indonesia, and is one of the six recognized religions in Indonesia, along with Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism and Confucianism. According to 2022 estimates roughly 0.7% of the total citizens of Indonesia were Buddhists, and numbered around 2 million. Most Buddhists are concentrated in Jakarta, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatra, and West Kalimantan. These totals, however, are probably inflated, as practitioners of Taoism and Chinese folk religion, which are not considered official religions of Indonesia, likely declared themselves as Buddhists on the most recent census.^[3] Today, the majority of Buddhists in Indonesia are Chinese and other East Asians, however small communities of native Buddhists (such as Javanese and Sasak) also exist.