Indonesia has solidified its position as the country with the largest Hindu population in Southeast Asia and the biggest outside the Indian subcontinent, with approximately 4.2 to 4.69 million Hindus comprising about 1.67 percent of the nation's total population as of 2024 according to the Ministry of Home Affairs civil registration data.
The vast majority of Indonesian Hindus are concentrated in Bali where they represent over 83 percent of the island's population, making it the only Indonesian province where Hinduism remains the dominant religion and the last remnant of what was once a Hindu-dominated archipelago before Islam's arrival in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Hinduism first reached the Indonesian archipelago during the 1st century CE through Indian traders, sailors, scholars and priests, subsequently evolving into a syncretic fusion incorporating pre-existing Javanese folk religion and indigenous beliefs that flourished during the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires between the 4th and 15th centuries when Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms dominated Java, Sumatra, and surrounding islands.
The Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia has disputed official government figures and estimates that as many as 18 million Hindus may actually reside in the country, with significant populations beyond Bali found in Sumatra, Java, Lombok, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, including indigenous groups like the Dayak, Tenggerese, Bugis, and Toraja who have incorporated Hinduism into their traditional ancestral religions.
Despite being a minority faith, Hindu cultural influence remains deeply embedded in Indonesian society, evident in the architectural masterpieces like the 9th century Prambanan temple complex designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and continuing to shape contemporary Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese art, literature, and daily life practices across the predominantly Muslim nation.
