Ethnic groups in Indonesia Ethnic groups in Indonesia There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia including Javanese, Sundanese, and Batak. Based on ethnic group, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up about 40% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java but millions have migrated to other islands throughout the archipelago because of the transmigration program. The Sundanese, Malay, and Madurese are the next largest groups in the country. Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to Austronesian language family, although
Madurese people 21st century. The most famous incident in recent years, a mass "carok" occurred on 13 July 2006 in Bujur Tengah village, Pamekasan Regency, East Java, Indonesia, resulting stabbing and killing of seven men and seriously injuring nine people. Madurese people The Madurese (sometimes Madurace or Madhure; also known as Orang Madura and Suku Madura in Indonesian) are an ethnic group originally from the island of Madura now found in many parts of Indonesia, where they are the third-largest ethnic group by population. Common to most Madurese throughout the archipelago is the Islamic religion and the use of the Madurese language.