Demography
With a combined population of 136.5 million in the 2010 census (including Madura's 3.6 million), and at current growth rates, will reach 141 million combined in early 2013, is the most populous island in the world and is home to 57% of Indonesia's population. At 1,062 people per km² in 2010 it is also one of the most densely-populated parts of the world. Though little population growth is registered in Central Java, East Java, these regions have higher birth rates than one would assume due to mass emigration to the Western side of Java (mostly), but also Sumatra, Borneo, Bali, and Papua. Approximately 45% of the population of Indonesia is ethnically Javanese., Sundanese make a large portion of Java's population as well.
The dense Western third of the island (West Java, Banten, and DKI Jakarta) has an even higher population density exceeding 1,400 per km2 and is taking up the lion's share of population growth of Java. It is home to 3 metropolitan areas, Greater Jakarta (with outlying areas of Greater Serang and Greater Sukabumi), Greater Bandung, and Greater Cirebon.
Province or Special Region | Capital | Area km²2) |
Area % |
Population Census of 2000 |
Population Census of 2010 |
Population Density in 2010 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Banten | Serang | 9,160.7 | 7.1 | 8,098,277 | 10,644,030 | 1,162 |
DKI Jakarta | - | 664 | 0.5 | 8,361,079 | 9,588,198 | 14,440 |
West Java | Bandung | 34,817 | 27.1 | 35,724,093 | 43,021,826 | 1,235 |
Central Java | Semarang | 32,801 | 25.3 | 31,223,258 | 32,380,687 | 995 |
Yogyakarta | Yogyakarta | 3,133 | 2.4 | 3,121,045 | 3,452,390 | 1,084 |
East Java | Surabaya | 47,922 | 37.3 | 34,765,993 | 37,476,011 | 782 |
Region Administered as Java | Jakarta | 128,297 | 100% | 121,293,745 | 136,563,142 | 1,064 |
|
- | 4,250 | 3.3 | 3,230,300 | 3,621,646 | 852 |
|
- | 124,047 | 96.7 | 118,063,445 | 132,941,496 | 1,071 |
1) Other islands are included in this figure but are very small in population and area
2) Land area of provinces updated in 2010 Census figures, areas may be different than past results.
From the 1970s to the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, the Indonesian government ran transmigration programs aimed at resettling the population of Java on other less-populated islands of Indonesia. This program has met with mixed results; sometimes causing conflicts between the locals and the recently arrived settlers. However, Java's share of the nation's population has fallen steadily.
Jakarta and its outskirts being the dominant metropolis is also home to people from all over the nation. East Java is also home to ethnic Balinese, as well as large numbers of Madurans due to their historic poverty.
Read more about this topic: Java