Languages of Indonesia

Indonesia is a country with over 700 languages. Most belong to the Austronesian language family, but in eastern Indonesia many Papuan languages are spoken. Though Indonesia is the official language, most Indonesians speak other languages as their first language.

In addition to Indonesian, other languages with millions of speakers include Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Minangkabau, Buginese, Banjarese, Acehnese, Balinese, Betawi and Sasak.

With over 700 languages, Indonesia has the second largest multilingual population in the world. Only Papua New Guinea has more languages. Despite the presence of the Dutch for over 350 years, few Indonesians can speak Dutch. Indonesian is the language which serves to unite the country.