10 Most Spoken Regional Languages in Indonesia

According to the results of the 2020 Indonesian Population Census *Long Form* by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), 72.78% of Indonesian residents aged 5 and over use regional languages to communicate within their neighborhood or community.

Of this group, the majority, or 42.19%, use the Javanese language.

"The high number of Javanese speakers is also related to the high percentage of the Javanese ethnic group in the population," wrote the BPS in its report, *Profile of Ethnic Groups and Diversity of Regional Languages from the 2020 Population Census Long Form*.

The next most spoken regional languages are Sundanese, with a proportion of 18.68%, followed by Malay at 4.96%, and Madurese at 4.77%.

Meanwhile, the proportion of speakers of other regional languages is less than 3%, as shown in the graph.

The BPS considers that the preservation of regional languages in Indonesia needs to be pursued. This can be done by including regional languages in the education curriculum and supporting cultural activities that involve the use of regional languages.

"By preserving regional languages, this also helps preserve the nation's cultural wealth and strengthen Indonesia's national identity," wrote the BPS.