Hinduism in Indonesia

Hinduism is the third-largest religion in Indonesia, practised by approximately 1.68% of the national population according to 2023 civil registration data from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The vast majority of Indonesian Hindus reside on the island of Bali, where Hinduism is the predominant religion, adhered to by nearly 87 % of the local population. Most Hindus in Indonesia practise Balinese Hinduism, a distinct local tradition shaped by indigenous beliefs and historical Hindu–Buddhist influences.

Hinduism was the dominant religion in much of the Indonesian archipelago prior to the spread of Islam and remains one of the six officially recognised religions of the Indonesian state. Hindu ideas reached Indonesia from around the 1st century CE through trade and cultural exchange with the Indian subcontinent. Over time, these ideas blended with local Austronesian traditions and, from around the 6th century, with Buddhist influences, giving rise to a syncretic form of Hindu–Buddhist religious culture.

This religious synthesis flourished under major pre-Islamic polities such as the Srivijaya and the Majapahit empires. From the 14th century onward, the spread of Islam through coastal trade networks led to a decline of Hinduism across much of Indonesia, though it remained deeply rooted in Bali. In the modern period, Hinduism has also re-emerged in other regions, including parts of Java, through revival movements that draw on Majapahit-era traditions, Shaivism, and Javanese spiritual philosophy.

In addition, several indigenous belief systems and traditional religions outside Bali have been administratively classified as forms of Hinduism in order to meet Indonesian legal requirements for religious recognition, which mandate belief in a supreme deity and formal religious structure. As a result, Indonesia today has one of the largest Hindu populations in the world, despite Hinduism being a minority religion nationally.