How many Chinese Indonesians?

Abstract

Until the census of 2000, no attempt had been made since the 1930 census to elicit data from Indonesians about their ethnicity. The 2000 census question on the subject was necessarily based on self-identification. However, the very low figure recorded for ethnic Chinese Indonesians implies that large numbers of them chose not to identify themselves as such, probably because of fears aroused by outbreaks of anti-Chinese violence in 1998. The 2000 census figure of only 1.8 million Chinese, less than 1% of the total population (or 1.4 % according to a proposed adjustment) seems far too low to be credible. In 1930 Chinese Indonesians represented about 2% of the total, and they have generally been assumed since then to amount to 2-3% of the population. This note examines the key variables relevant to that assumption, which seems likely to be nearer the truth than the recent census figure.

Notes

I use the word ‘Chinese’ here with reference to the ethnic identity of that group, although we should more correctly be calling them Chinese Indonesians for normal purposes (or preferably Sino-Indonesians, by analogy with the word Sino-Thai, now a well-accepted term), since nearly all of them now regard themselves essentially as Indonesian nationals, not Chinese. The word ‘Chinese’ ought to be used only as an adjective, a qualifier, not a noun. This matter is important, since the connotations and denotation are otherwise simply racial, not a matter of nationality, citizenship, ‘loyalties’ or socio-cultural identification.

This article does not purport to be a review of the useful survey by Suryadinata et al.(2003) of the census data on a previously not well-researched topic. Their study is particularly interesting for its intriguingly diverse age-pyramids for the various ethnic groups in different provinces. But their puzzling estimate of the size of the Chinese ethnic group has led me to suggest an alternative approach to that question.

Even the 1930 census was not based on full enumeration of the population outside Java, but simply on officials' estimates.

According to Professor Terry Hull of the Australian National University, the National Family Plannning Agency (BKKBN) surveys of Chinese fertility rates and use of family planning (keluarga berencana, KB) techniques in the 1970s revealed high initial fertility rates, but also more rapid adoption of KB than the national average. Those data may be still available, he believes.

While the figures for the ethnic Chinese in those 19 provinces were not published in printed form by BPS, I am told they are readily available in electronic form (Professor Terry Hull, personal communication).