Indonesia

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic state and the fourth most populous nation. In the United Nations statistical framework, Indonesia carries M49 code 360, ISO alpha-2 code ID, ISO alpha-3 code IDN, and belongs to the UN region Asia and subregion South-eastern Asia. It is a UN member state, and the World Bank capital field lists Jakarta. These classification facts come from the UN Statistics Division’s M49 overview and the World Bank country API. They are statistical conventions, not political claims.

Classification facts (stable)

Field	Value
UN M49 code	360
ISO alpha-2	ID
ISO alpha-3	IDN
UN region	Asia
UN subregion	South-eastern Asia
UN membership	UN member state
World Bank capital field	Jakarta

These identifiers come from the United Nations Statistics Division’s M49 overview and the World Bank country API. M49 codes are statistical classifications, not political judgments. They are used by UN agencies, the World Bank and many statistical offices for consistent data exchange. The city of Jakarta appears in the World Bank’s country metadata; the Indonesian government has announced plans to move the national seat of government to Nusantara, so always check the current official source for the legal administrative centre.

How to verify current population

The most recent official population figure comes from Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS). The 2020 census counted 270.20 million people (reference year: 2020). The UN World Population Prospects publishes annual estimates; the 2024 revision projected Indonesia’s total at roughly 283.5 million for mid-2024. These figures differ because censuses and projections use different methods, timings and coverage. The World Bank’s country API returns the latest official population estimate with its own reference year. Always cite the year and the source; do not mix the 2020 census count with a 2024 projection without saying which is which.

What the numbers mean

Population figures are estimates, not exact counts. Indonesia conducts a full census roughly every ten years (the 2020 census was the most recent), and intercensal projections carry uncertainty. Urbanisation continues to shift population centres, and administrative data lags behind migration. For the most current official figure, check BPS-Statistics Indonesia and the UN World Population Prospects.

How to look up the latest figure

Country statistics change every year. Rather than memorising a single population number or GDP figure, use the primary sources directly:

• Population: UN World Population Prospects (population.un.org/wpp) publishes annual estimates and projections. Reference year: 2024 revision.
• Economic data: World Bank indicators provide GDP, GNI per capita and poverty rates. Reference year: latest available, usually a one-year lag.
• Languages and literacy: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (uis.unesco.org) publishes education and literacy data; the CIA World Factbook summarises language data with methodology notes.
• Government and legal system: the CIA World Factbook and the Indonesian national statistical office (Badan Pusat Statistik) both publish profile summaries.
• Travel and entry rules: your own government’s foreign ministry travel advisory and the IATA Travel Centre.

UN classification (M49)

The UN M49 standard assigns Indonesia:

• M49 code: 360
• ISO alpha-2: ID
• ISO alpha-3: IDN
• UN region: Asia
• UN subregion: South-eastern Asia
• UN member state: Yes

These codes are statistical identifiers, not political judgments. They place Indonesia within the UN geoscheme for data collection. The M49 overview is maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division and is the reference for this categorisation.

Political and territorial claims

The UN M49 scheme is a statistical convention. It does not settle sovereignty disputes or substitute for official maps. For boundary questions, consult the relevant national authorities and the UN’s official position. Indonesia’s administrative centre is Jakarta in the World Bank capital field; other national planning documents may refer to the future seat of government Nusantara, and any statement about a change should be attributed to the specific government source and year.

Country basics

Status. Indonesia is a United Nations member state. In the UN M49 scheme it carries code 360, ISO alpha-2 code ID, and ISO alpha-3 code IDN. The UN lists Indonesia under the region “Asia” and the subregion “South-eastern Asia” (UN M49 overview). This is a statistical grouping, not a political or territorial statement.

Administrative centre. The World Bank lists Jakarta as the capital in its country profile. In 2019, the Indonesian government announced a plan to relocate the seat of government to Nusantara in East Kalimantan; the move is in progress, and official sources should be checked for the current legal status. Treat “capital” as an administrative fact that can change, and always check the primary source for the reference year.

Population. The population figure changes continuously. The UN World Population Prospects publishes annual estimates; the World Bank also publishes population data through its country API. Both are estimates, not exact counts. Census data is collected roughly every ten years in Indonesia; the last full census was 2020, and intercensal projections have been adjusted since. When you read a population number, check whether it is a census count, a projection, or a mid-year estimate, and note the reference year. For the current figure, open the World Bank API and filter by country code ID.

The capital question

Jakarta is the administrative centre used by the World Bank and the United Nations statistical scheme. Indonesian law has moved the national capital function to Nusantara (in East Kalimantan) under Law No. 3/2022 on the State Capital, and the transfer is in progress. For official administrative purposes, the legal capital status is a matter of Indonesian domestic law, and you should attribute any statement about it to the source and year (for example, the law or the responsible ministry). Classification sources such as the UN M49 overview still list Jakarta as the capital field; political and territorial claims are distinct from statistical categorisation.

Core profile

Indonesia is a sovereign state in South-eastern Asia, classified by the UN as a member state in the Asia region and the South-eastern Asia subregion (UN M49 code 360). It is the world’s largest archipelagic nation, spanning more than 17,000 islands across the equator, with Java, Sumatra, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi and New Guinea (Papua) as its main islands. The administrative centre is Jakarta, and the official language is Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). The country is a republic with a president as both head of state and head of government. The currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR).

Because Indonesia is a large, complex nation, exact figures for population, economy and development indicators change frequently and are produced by different agencies with different methods. This guide gives the stable classification facts, then shows how to look up the current numbers from primary sources, rather than freezing volatile data into a false precision.