Chinese Indonesians

Chinese Indonesians (Indonesian: Orang Tionghoa Indonesia, simplified Chinese: 印度尼西亚华人; traditional Chinese: 印度尼西亞華人; pinyin: Yìndùníxīyà huárén), also known as Chindo (slang), Orang Tionghoa or simply Tionghoa, are Indonesian citizens of Chinese heritage whose ancestors arrived at some stage in the last eight centuries. While their long-standing presence is well established, Indonesia’s 2020 national census does not systematically record ethnic data, making precise estimates of the Chinese Indonesian population difficult.

The 2010 census, the most recent Indonesian census to record ethnic categories, reported 2,832,510 Chinese Indonesians. Indonesian demographic experts estimated around 3.28 million in 2020, making the community the fourth-largest overseas Chinese population in the world.

Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have lived in the Indonesian archipelago since at least the 13th century. Many came initially as sojourners (temporary residents), intending to return home in their old age. Some, however, stayed in the region as economic migrants. Their population grew rapidly during the colonial period when workers were contracted from their home provinces in Southern China.

Discrimination against Chinese Indonesians has occurred since the start of Dutch colonialism in the region, although government policies implemented since 1998 have attempted to redress this. Resentment of ethnic Chinese economic aptitude grew in the 1950s as Native Indonesian merchants felt they could not remain competitive.