MigrantoIndonesian Diaspora
3.7M Indonesians live abroad — 1% of the population of Indonesia
Indonesian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 63% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Malaysia | 1761502 |
| UAE | 298351 |
| Taiwan | 292830 |
| Bangladesh | 205947 |
| Singapore | 180437 |
| Saudi Arabia | 169846 |
| Japan | 157343 |
| Hong Kong | 145244 |
| Kuwait | 115347 |
| Australia | 104566 |
| Netherlands | 100339 |
| Qatar | 46021 |
| Bahrain | 30062 |
| South Korea | 27807 |
| Canada | 16815 |
| Turkey | 15386 |
| Libya | 14740 |
| Papua New Guinea | 13638 |
| New Zealand | 7817 |
| Brunei | 7195 |
| Italy | 4226 |
| East Timor | 4066 |
| Belgium | 3816 |
| China | 3725 |
| Egypt | 3074 |
| Norway | 1903 |
| Denmark | 1546 |
| North Korea | 1470 |
| Algeria | 1467 |
| New Caledonia | 1043 |
| Brazil | 847 |
| Finland | 835 |
| India | 780 |
| Hungary | 669 |
| South Africa | 532 |
| Greece | 478 |
| Pakistan | 380 |
| Sri Lanka | 327 |
| Portugal | 317 |
| Curaçao | 295 |
| Panama | 246 |
| Iceland | 239 |
| Mexico | 208 |
| Cyprus | 179 |
| Seychelles | 145 |
| Luxembourg | 140 |
| Cambodia | 117 |
| Malta | 110 |
| Namibia | 100 |
| Bulgaria | 87 |
| Slovenia | 77 |
| Solomon Islands | 66 |
| Sint Maarten | 65 |
| Slovakia | 54 |
| Venezuela | 52 |
| Guatemala | 46 |
| Estonia | 41 |
| Bahamas | 36 |
| Costa Rica | 24 |
| Croatia | 22 |
| French Polynesia | 17 |
| Faroe Islands | 13 |
| Lithuania | 11 |
| Bolivia | 11 |
| Liechtenstein | 10 |
| Latvia | 3 |
By region
74% of the diaspora lives in Asia
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Key facts
The Indonesian diaspora in numbers
The community in Japan is growing fastest
The number of Indonesians living in Japan has grown 237% since 2015, from 46.6K to 157.3K.
Most Indonesians abroad live in Malaysia
47% of the diaspora lives in Malaysia, while the next country accounts for just 8%.
The share of the diaspora living in Asia has grown since 1990
44.7% of the diaspora lived in Asia in 1990, compared with 74.5% today.
The diaspora is more concentrated than in 1990
The largest country's share rose from 28% to 47%, and today that country is Malaysia.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
3 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey. Taiwan climbed from outside the top 20 to #3.
Indonesian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1309876 |
| 1995 | 1664243 |
| 2000 | 2128328 |
| 2005 | 2406449 |
| 2010 | 3031600 |
| 2015 | 3269321 |
| 2020 | 3446736 |
| 2024 | 3745148 |
Largest communities over time
Indonesians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Malaysia | UAE | Taiwan | Bangladesh | Singapore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 367801 | 46445 | 921 | 70627 | 38441 |
| 1995 | 615621 | 67397 | 31546 | 84052 | 53142 |
| 2000 | 863511 | 91456 | 64676 | 97476 | 71417 |
| 2005 | 1128807 | 119309 | 42845 | 123383 | 91676 |
| 2010 | 1540665 | 199195 | 137928 | 143647 | 151605 |
| 2015 | 1607465 | 250877 | 221275 | 152862 | 172869 |
| 2020 | 1693459 | 262762 | 259916 | 149901 | 169056 |
| 2024 | 1761502 | 298351 | 292830 | 205947 | 180437 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Indonesians in each country has changed since the selected year
Indonesians among immigrants in other countries
Where Indonesians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Indonesians live outside Indonesia?
Around 3.7M Indonesians live abroad, the world's #20 largest diaspora.
Where do most Indonesians abroad live?
Most Indonesians live in Malaysia, UAE and Taiwan — these three countries account for about 63% of all Indonesians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Indonesian population outside Indonesia?
Malaysia is home to the largest Indonesian community abroad — 1.8M people, about 47% of all Indonesians living abroad.
What share of the population of Indonesia lives abroad?
About 1% of the population of Indonesia lives abroad — that's 3.7M out of a total population of 283.5M.
Is the Indonesian diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Indonesians living abroad has grown from 3.3M to 3.7M, about 15%.
Where does the data on the Indonesian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Indonesia who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Indonesia
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