Buddha bust from Indonesia
Buddha bust from Indonesia
Height: 7.5 cm.
Buddhism has a long history in Indonesia and is recognized as one of the six official religions in Indonesia, along with Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism and Confucianism. According to the 2010 national census, about 0.8% of the total Indonesian population were Buddhists, and approximately 1.7 million. Most Buddhists are concentrated in Jakarta, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatra and West Kalimantan. However, these totals are likely too high as practitioners of Taoism and Chinese folk religion, which are not considered official religions of Indonesia, likely declared themselves Buddhists in the most recent census. Today, the majority of Buddhists in Indonesia are Chinese, but small numbers of native Buddhists (such as Javanese and Sasak) are also present.