Demographics and Language
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1971 | 21,623,529 | — |
| 1980 | 27,453,525 | +27.0% |
| 1990 | 35,384,352 | +28.9% |
| 1995 | 39,206,787 | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 35,729,537 | −8.9% |
| 2010 | 43,053,732 | +20.5% |
| Source: Badan Pusat Statistik 2010 | ||
West Java is the native homeland of Sundanese people which forms the largest ethnic group in West Java, followed by Javanese who migrated to the province centuries ago. Since Jakarta and the surrounding area, including West Java, is the business and political center of Indonesia, the province has attracted various people from throughout Indonesia. Other Native Indonesian ethnic groups such as Minangkabau, Batak, Malay, Madurese, Balinese, Ambonese and many other Indonesians who migrated to and settled in West Java cities can also be easily found. West Java urban areas also have a significant population of Chinese Indonesians.
The population of West Java was put at 43,054,000 in mid 2010 making it the most populous province of Indonesia, home to 18% of the national total on 1.8% of the national land. Aside from the special district of Jakarta, it is the most densely populated province in the country with an average of 1,236 people per km² (2010 data). The population growth rate recorded in the ten years to 2010 was 1.9%, assuming this growth rate, the projected population in May 2012 is 44.7 million.
In addition to Indonesian, the official national language, the other widely-spoken language in the province is Sundanese. In some areas near the southern borders with Central Java, Javanese is also spoken. The main language spoken in Cirebon and nearby areas (Majalengka, Indramayu, Sumber) is Cirebonese, a dialect of Javanese with Sundanese influence. Indonesian is widely spoken as a second language.
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